Midwifery
Midwifery is perhaps one of the most fulfilling and rewarding career paths you could choose, supporting women throughout and after their pregnancies and bringing new life into the world.
Midwives recognise pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period as a healthy and profound experience in women’s lives and use their professional knowledge, skills and attitudes to support the woman and her family, working autonomously and within the multidisciplinary team. Although the work can be challenging at times, you will be well supported in an environment that supports learning.
Midwives could work in a variety of settings, for example: antenatal and postnatal wards and clinics, birthing rooms, Midwifery Led Units (MLUs), community midwifery services, neonatal units, and obstetric theatres. Midwives are the lead healthcare professionals for women whose pregnancies are uncomplicated.
There are 19 maternity units and, as part of the implementation of the National Maternity Strategy, many more community and continuity of midwifery care services are being developed. These services provide a diverse range of employment opportunities across all levels of experience and expertise.
Registered Midwives can progress their careers with choices for midwives existing in the clinical, management, education and research settings. These options include Clinical Midwife Specialist and Advanced Midwife Practitioner roles.
The duties for a Registered Midwife may include:
- examining and monitoring pregnant women.
- assessing care requirements and writing care.
- undertaking antenatal care in hospitals, homes and GP practices.
- carrying out screening tests.
- providing information, emotional support and reassurance to women and their partners.
- taking patient samples, pulses, temperatures and blood pressures.
- caring for and assisting women in labour.
- monitoring and administering medication, injections and intravenous infusions during labour.
- monitoring the foetus during labour.
- advising about and supporting parents in the daily care of their newborn babies.
- helping parents to cope with miscarriage, termination, stillbirth and neonatal death.
- writing records.
- tutoring student midwives.
- identifying high-risk pregnancies.
Skills required:
- a caring, kind and understanding attitude.
- being able to get on well with people from a wide range of social and cultural backgrounds.
- being a good communicator and listener.
- having good emotional and mental strength.
- being able to act on own initiative.
- willingness to take responsibility.
- an ability to cope with difficult situations and to remain calm in stressful situations.
Further details can be found on the Careers Portal