I want to be a...

Midwife!!!

After spending '05, '06 & '07 in and out of three different courses; aimlessly studying with no real point more than to be able to say i have a degree, & five different jobs; working to 'save', though it never happened... giving birth has given me the most empowering & overwhelming feeling that i really want to a midwife.

I just don't know where to start... Study is sort of out of the question at the moment because I'm a SAHM, and DF will be going back to Uni before i do... and we can't really both be at Uni at the same time.

I know some universities will do Nursing by distance with a couple of weekend workshops for practical teaching and assessment (hmm, well maybe only the course offered by Open Universities does this), but I'm not sure if there is any that do for Midwifery... (someone please correct me if I'm wrong!)

I could do a nursing degree and then a grad dip in Midwifery, meaning i'd be able to study by distance now and then complete qualifications later? Does this qualify me as a nurse (I'd want to work as a children's nurse) and a midwife?

I also feel that if it's something i don't start working towards ASAP, i'll go back to having very little ambition and stop striving for all those things i want.
I know, it's silly... but not having a goal to work on all the time, makes reaching that goal so much harder...

So my question is, for the interim, do you think studying to be, and working as a doula would be a good start / experience? I thought maybe it would help with my entry to uni (what have you been doing with yourself for the last X amount of years?)
It's something i was already considering, but i wonder if many people would find me all too useful (so to speak) as I am young??
I know I was put off getting a doula myself because i didn't quite think i would gel with someone fifteen years older than me... does that apply with older mum's and younger doulas?

I hope this has made sense, but I'd really love to hear some opinions from you all.

Another option that might help you towards your aim is becoming an ABA counsellor. It's baby related and when you're a midwife it would be so valuable.
You could start by joining the ABA. You have to BF for a minimum period before you can be a counsellor.

Chloe, i had thought of that as well. I know it's a minumum of nine months though, so we have a fair way to go!! Guess it can't hurt to get in touch with my local ABA group now though. If only to keep me encouraged and motivated to keep BFing.

I'm not certain, but I thought you have to do nursing before specialising as a midwife? In which case, I'd just start on your nursing however and whenever you can, Ashlea.
IRT becoming a doula, I'm not certain about the age thing, but I do know that most of the mums in my MG are 10 or so years older than me and we wouldn't have known unless we'd asked each other how old we all were. I think you'd have lots to offer :) I think it is more a case of how you interact with people as to whether or not they'll feel comfortable, not how old or young you are. JMO, and I wish you all the very best!

Ash, you can study Mid through distance ed - UniSA offers it. And yes, if you do your nursing via distance ed now and then post grad mid later, you are a qualified nurse at the completion of that degree (usually 3 years). You can work in the children's hospital as a nurse without having to do a speciality in peadeatrics. Not sure about being a Maternal Child Health Nurse though - I think they like you to have your mid? Maybe someone else can help you with that bit - I've never looked into it...

Ash - the ABA requirement for counsellors has changed - you only need 6 months combined breastfeeding experience ie you can have b'fed two babies for 3 months each and still qualify.

Snacks - I thought that originally too, but I looked into it and the Bachelor of Midwifery is offered at a few different Uni's with standard pre-reqs such as a pass in year 12 maths and english. Thanks for you advice WRT doulas. I do think that's a very good point as i suppose age doesn't make all too much difference!

MG - Thanks for that info!! I had looked at Victorian Uni's but i sort of stopped there. MCHN's i think do require you to practise as a midwife - or so i have been informed by DS's. I will certainly look into uniSA.

& Willow! - Woohoo, i didn't even bother to look at the ABA website, it;s just something i read in a thread recently, maybe the thread was outdated or something. That's excellent. My next goal is six months so there's an extra incentive!

You can do direct entry mid.

You can do nursing and then do 1 extra year and do mid. (work in peads in mean time)

MCHN is another 12-18 months study post you have been working in mid for a period of time. Its apparntly a really full on course and i know many who have dropped out of it.

I did nursing first and worked for a number of years before doing mid, I loved nursing and now i love mid its very rewarding and exciting!!

Thanks feeb! :)

I wonder if i'd be better of doing nursing and then a grad dip, that way i have both options under my wing.

Personally thats how i would suggest as that way you are more appealing to an agency and also if you were to work in a small country hopsital one day.

I know some of the girls have had issues in smaller places gettong work as they can not working in general also all they can do is mid.

doing both gives u such a diveres amount of areas to work.

Good luck with it all if i can help in any ways just ask

i have no advice.. just wanted to say good luck with whichever direction you decide to take!!!

:)

thanks rach :)

Ash, I'm about to start training as an ABA counsellor, my long term goal is to become a Mid, and LC ;) But uni is out of the question ATM as DH is starting his own business, and besides, I think we should finish having our family first. Willow is right, you are required to have 6 months BFing experience.

So in the meantime I'm going to keep my brain busy with my ABA training :) I'm really looking forward to it. And I figure it won't hurt down the track when I'm applying to uni. I'm trying not to get my hopes up about that though, it's apparently reeeeeaaally difficult to get into direct entry Mid. I think as a post-grad course too. Oh well, we can but try. And try again!

Good luck hun :)

"it's apparently reeeeeaaally difficult to get into direct entry Mid"
Oh damn! :(
That's a pity because the ENTER's for CY12 entry are all around what i got when finishing high school, the only one above is the LTU double with nursing. Im feeling a little disheartened now, :lol:

i was looking at it and i could do three units through open universities to help me get entry but id have to start that next year... and im keen to do it now... i just dont have the will to stick to it if im not going anywhere to start off with.
ABA would be a great start but im still four months off even being able to start with that.
i just need to stay interested and motivated... i don't know here that all went after high school!

ETA: i meant the VIC ENTER's. The UniSA is around 90... 91 to do it externally... eeeeek. I know I'd be considered a NonY12 applicant, but i havent been doing anything for the last three years that would help me get in!

Ashlea, you could study and train as a doula in the meantime. I have heard that it's a great stepping stone to getting into midwifery. Esp if you have a few births under your belt.

Good luck and go for it :D

Sorry Ash, I didn't mean to put you off. It just means we have to really strive to reach our goal. I think studying as a doula in te meantime would be a wonderful stepping stone, and who knows, you may love it so much you don't want to do anything else!

Lol Janie it's ok - i need to learn to stick to something!

I got some more info from UniSA - though I am still incredibly confused.
As I am under 21 at beginning of this year I am not eligible to do the STAT test, which is what you have to sit as part of mature age entry. But I am also not consider a CY12. How confusing.

Maybe I will have a look at Optimum Birth & CBI & start with training as a doula to make it a stepping stone. Any recommendations?

Some of the universities only accept BMid students on the basis of academic results, so before you go off to do a doula course check what the university your applying to accept. I didn't do any doula training before starting my BMid and I absolutely don't think it needs to be looked at as a requirement. Nice to do if you want, but not imperative.
I think that if you're going to be a midwife then you should do the BMid. I'm not a great fan of doing nursing and then mid if you don't have to. I think we should be really clear that midwives are not nurses. They are midwives. I personally hope that some of the Grad cert courses get closed down to encourage midwives to do the BMid, rather than continuing to view midwifery as a sub-section of nursing. Times, they are a changin'.

Good luck.

Samantha I'm looking at UniSA as currently they're the only university that offer external study. It's not within our financial means for me to go back to Uni now, and it's especially ideal if i can study and be a SAHM, so when DP goes back to uni i can work, IYKWIM.
They're requirements for Current Y12's are just a TER of around 91. I got 80. 80 is enough to get me into 4 out of the 5 (i think) VIC courses on offer and all the academic results in subject results I have no problems with.

I like your perspective how M should only be known as M but from what i was reading, when you qualify aren't you registered as a nurse, restrictdd to midwifery only? Or maybe that's only one of the courses i was looking at.

No that's how it used to be. You were endorsed to work in midwifery only. Now we're Registered Midwives - full stop. I never shall be nor do I ever want to be referred to as a nurse ;)

Sorry Sam, but I disagree that they should abandon post grad mid courses. If I want to work with the royal flying dr service or work in a remote area, I have to have both quals - nursing and mid - and I sure won't be wanting to do 2 3 year degrees!!!

But great advice about not necessarily having to do the doula course first. Def chat to the Uni you're thinking of first Ash but also keep in mind that the courses change every 3 or so years (depending on the state/territory) and so entry requirements can also change...

HTH

MG

I am gonna go against the grain and say its great if you have a doula course under your belt. You don't have to of course, but so many melbourne doula students I have spoken to have been disappointed at the heavy medical content and delving right into the medical pov... I think Obs should do a doula course before Ob school LOL!!

I think its great to be in touch with normal birth before you head into medical birth. I wouldn't have known better myself, would have just believed what I heard as gospel and how birth is safest! Training to be a birth attendant with Rhea was the biggest eye opener. Could have gone the other way and could be telling everyone different things about now!! :)

hey i guess by doing the doula course it is a good way to 'sound out' if you are on the right path and going in the right direction, before paying uni fees etc... im reluctant to do the 4 year nursing/midwifery double degree, because i'm not sure i have the commitment to study for three years before i hit the midwifery component (which is what i'm interested in)... maybe by doing the doula course it will give me the motivation i need to persevere.... or on the other hand, i guess maybe it might show me that its not the right time to undertake a heavy course load, as i said, a great way of sounding out whether i will be able to commit to all the hours of study... THANKS!!!!!

on a side note, does anyone know how soon into the nursing/midwifery course would you be working in a hospy environment?

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on a side note, does anyone know how soon into the nursing/midwifery course would you be working in a hospy environment?

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It depends on where you live but usually at the end of second year of nursing you can work as a Div 2/EN and in some hospitals in SA you can work as a "student nurse" at the completion of 2nd year. Not sure if Mid have something similar or if you can work after completing the second year... Perhaps Sam can answer that. It will also depend on which State/Territory you live and study in as they have different rules...

I was reading with one of the courses, perhaps uniSA that you have to support 30-40 women through the duration of your course.
And a friend doing nursing/mid at LTU is 2nd year and gets to deliver her first baby in may.

Doesn't mum do all the birthing? Pizza delivery guys do the delivering ;) I think mums should get credit for all the hard work, making the baby appear ;)

I know a fair few doulas who get into mid - when I enquired into the course before I knew about doulas, they said that any births you have attended are looked on favourably too - its a benefit. You would hope women have been to a birth to know what they are in for! :cryinglaugh: Some doulas can also work and count them as follow-throughs too.

The biggie though is previous tertiary study but at the amount of doulas I know getting in here, seems to be an open and completely doable field.

kelly are they getting in to Mid directly, or doing the nursing degree first? if direct route to Mid, where are they doing this at??

at the moment i'd have to travel 100kms to do the bach of mid, so not gunna happen. ironically the uni is located 10mins from my old house :(

oh and another question, how soon into the course would you be on placement studying at the hospital?

You are in hospitals pretty early on, in the first year.

They are getting into direct entry as thats what they want to do - look after birthing women, not sick women iykwim.

wow placement in hospital first year.... uni and how it works is so foreign to me as i never went after school... i am struggling to find out about the course load, how many days/hours of actually attending the uni, when the placements would be, so i could work out if i could still hold down a job, be a mum, and afford to live!!

how do you find out these things, surely you don't enrol/get accepted into the course first then ascertain the amount of hours etc?

dam i wish the direct entry mid course was offered where i live. makes it really hard as i'm just not interested in doing the nursing component. agree, want to look after birthing women, not the sick population.

has anyone out there done the nursing degree purely to get to midwifery?? would love to hear how you found it.

Ooooh Kelly is a smartie pants, haha :p

I totally agreee with seeing it non medicalised first. And I gather it would then be less full on and a lot more welcoming to ease into. I was hoping that having attended births would make you more favourable, how about having given birth? ;)

I think doula training would be a great accompaniement to the degree either way. I could be wrong, but seeing as midwife = with woman, wouldn't doula training be a positive step?
I had such good Mids for Alexander's birth, they were so supportive & I can only see Doula training as a positive component to add to care like this. KWIM?

I wish i could do Rhea's course but my only option is really CBI or Optimum Birth so I guess I should get researching.

Emma why don't you give the Uni's enrolment department a call. Or the Health Sciences faculty - they'd be able to tell you the average fpor first year students and whether or not it is offered on a part time basis. I think anyway.

Sorry MG, I knew somebody would mention that but I was too lazy to go back and edit my post. :redface: The only exception should be remote or flight nursing.

I caught my first baby in the third week of first year! You go out into the hospital environment with Follow throughs pretty much immediately/as soon as you recruit them. You can work as a midwifery student in some hospitals in 3rd year.

Wow that's real quick.
Sam can i ask what you find to be most rewarding about being a Mid?

Oh and most unis make you do a nursing placement in 1st year. We had to do two. I was in palliative care and oncology. The most depressing and career affirming place for me to have worked! It's only now in second year that we are doing mid placements. The uni's are all so different though you need to speak to whichever one you're applying at.

Edit post

Good luck Ash! I reckon you'll make a great midwife! :D

I want to be a teacher, but because I didn't get into the course in time, I'll be praying very hard that I get in next year

If you want to know rough times for placements etc, try to access the current info for the degree - they are usually at the same time every year. Talk to other students at the Uni doing the degree so they can get you "inside info".
It depends on which Uni you are studying at as to when you first get into the hospital setting - and again, this changes somewhat regularly considering the course structure changes every 3 years.

Sam - I knew you'd understand ;) To be fair to nursing, Onc Pall is a pretty depressing area to work in (no offense to those in that area) and is pretty rough to work in as a first clinical. BUT, it does give people a realistic view of some of the less than pleasant areas of caring for someone. There are too many people who go into nursing, mid, and med with such romantic and unrealistic views (thanks to wonderful shows like All Saints and ER!). That's why there are such huge drop out rates after the first clinical.

Lol so they like to test us do they? :p

I am in my first year of a nursing degree done by distance - I got in based on my year 12 results and the fact that I have done a Bachelor of Arts. I do want to go into midwifery down the track, but I didn't start nursing with the express intention of getting into midwifery - If I only wanted to do mid I would have applied to one of the local unis for their bachelor of mid. I am thinking in a few years (I am only going part time atm) I will apply to transfer to a double degree, Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Midwifery at QUT in Brisbane. I like the idea of having more than one qualification - gives me more options and broadens my horizons.