Student Midwives, need your advice!!! Please!!

[LadyLou]

Hi,

I posted in the other thread, but didn't want to gate-crash too much!!

All this is going to sound REALLY DUMB, but I am so not used to uni speak and what it all means... I am sorry!

I need all the advice I can get.... I have emailed the teacher or course advisor, but still waiting to hear back... she is probably still rolling her eyes at my ignorance!

I am 28yrs old and working in the public service. I want to be a midwife, have always wanted to but there was always something stopping me. Now I have decided that if I have to work then it's going to be something that I truly love and my husband is supportive, sooo.... now just to do it.

Amongst all the financial issues to work out the most important thing is getting into the course!! So here are my questions....

I am looking to apply as a direct entry student at Canberra. I didn't get a teriarty entrance score when I completed year 12 (10 years ago!) as I was not going to uni. Do they do a appittude test instead?

There is an application form that asks the following questions:

1. What do you see as the most important issues facing childbearing women today?
2. What do you think women and their babies and families need from midwives?
3. What qualities, skills and knowledge will you bring to your role of midwifery student/
midwife?
4. What do you see as the most important issues facing midwifery today?

Are those fairly standard questions that all student midwives are asked? Are the answers what they base my ability to do the course on? How mych should I write? What is the general midwife culture? Either "as less medical intervention as possible" or just a "healthy baby, healthy mother" outcome? I understand hospitals vary in their beliefs, I assume uni's do too?

Are there any courses that I should do in the lead up to applying to assist me? The prerequisit was just maths and biology.

I will be using Hecs and working part time and doing the course part time, how much time am I going to have for p/t work if I do the course part time!

Ok, one more thing, studying this course with a new baby? Is it possible? We are trying for #3 and I kind of think I can juggle p/t study and kids (I'd be on paid mat leave from my current gov job). I know its up to me really and how much I can and can't do myself, but if anyone else has done it I'd be interested. I am consdiering putting the new addition off for a while...

Any help or advice you can offer is very much appreciated. I am so excited it's all I can think about... I am so worried that I won't get in now. Finances are another big factor, a big mortgage and two kids... grr! Plus I have to negotiate p/t with work unless I go on mat leave..... Lots of decisions but oh so exciting!

Thanks for reading this all about me post!! :laughing:

Cate
xxx

[suzy9]

Hi Cate! :wave:

To get into UQ, we didn't need to answer those sorts of questions, just needed a good rank to get in and the science and english pre-requisite! Have you done the maths and biology?

I can help you out a bit with your questions, by pointing you in the right direction...

There are a few websites that will help you out with some info in relation to midwifery issues like in questions 1,2 and 4. Do a search for the Australian College of Midwives. They usually have up-to-date midwifery news and issues that are going on. If you want to keep up with midwifery news, etc, then you could register as a consumer member of the Australian College of Midwives, then transfer to a student member when you get accepted....that is what I did. Also search for the National Maternity Review to find out what's happening there. You should also check out the International Confederation of Midwives, as the UC seem to refer to their standards and may be a helpful resource.

To address question 3, you may want to check out the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMC). Go to the professional standards and look at the Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct and the Competency Standards for Midwives. These might help you to identify your own strengths and abilities that could relate to the role of a midwife.

I'm doing the BMid (very) full-time with 3 kids and it is manageable, but sometimes pretty crazy. Make sure you are super-organised and have a lot of support, but being able to do it part-time is probably a bonus! We don't have that option.

Good luck with all your decision making! :flowerz:

[LadyLou]

Hi Suzy,

Thank you so much I will check out those sites.

I didn't do tertiary maths or biology and it has been 10 years since I left school!!!! Is there some scope for mature age students?

I am going to have to ring the head teacher and speak to her over the phone as she is not answering my email (quick enough :laughing:).

I want to do f/t so I can just get the learning part over and I can start working.

With f/t would you have any time at all for a p/t job? I have sourced a possible job as I know my current employers won't be kind when they find out I am training for a completely different profession.

What I really want to know is if I get a place in 2009 will they let me defer for 6 months... only the uni can answer that!

Wow - you do it with 3 kids!! I am in awe!! Can I ask a rude money question? How do you cope without your income? I understand there is a lot of clinical attendance (all unpaid) so that takes up a bit of time...time that could be spent working :rolleyes:.

Anyway - thanks again for responding, any advice I can get is fantastic!!

Cate

[suzy9]

Hi Cate,

I did Biology through TAFE prior to going to uni. It was a pre-requisite for UQ to even be considered for entry. I gained entry by sitting the STAT and combining it with my work experience. If we defer the BMid at UQ, we have to defer for 12 months, as the courses are only run in one semester of each year. Each university have their own policies so it's best to check them out.

Personally, I couldn't work as well as study, but there are a couple ladies in my clinical lecture group that have children and are working part-time on top of our full-time study load.....:yelclap:I take my hat off to them! If you could find a flexible job that would allow you to work during holidays, that would be great.

I have only done 6 months of work during the last 4 years by choice. I worked from July last year to January this year and that helped us to get ahead a bit before the start of a looooong income drought :). We have a mortgage, but not a massive one because we built our house about 12 years ago. Although we still owe a majority of it, it's nowhere near what houses are worth these days to build or buy! We rely on my DH's income and Centrelink FTB to keep our heads above water......and we do :D.