I’ve wanted to be a midwife for as long as I can remember and now I’m a student midwife! The further into the journey of becoming a student midwife I got, the more exciting it became.
Midwifery appeals to me in so many different ways, particularly the relationship-based elements and the impacts you can make on so many lives. Midwives are like good fairies, bringing joy and happiness into people’s lives, no matter the circumstance.
Being a student midwife has lived up to my expectations and beyond. Before starting out on my course I was very nervous, but meeting my cohort and tutors put most of those nerves to bed very early on.
We work as a very close unit, helping each other in different aspects of studying midwifery, whether that be improving in confidence to speak up in group discussions or enabling others to understand the baffling new language that is midwifery.
Confidence has always been an issue of mine that I’ve wanted to improve and I really feel that in the short time I have been at university, my confidence has improved lots. I enjoy sharing ideas and opinions with my groups in what are called Problem Based Learning sessions.
This year we are focusing on normality. My favourite part of the week are our practical workshops. In these we have learnt how to take blood, touched on urinalysis, palpation and blood pressure.
Using these practical skills for the first time can be very nerve wracking, but the support of my cohort is amazing. After practising a little your confidence and excitement grow, knowing that in a few months we will be able to put these skills into practice on placement.
Other lessons include a very different kind of hands-on experience, making glittery placentas to consolidate our learning of this marvellous organ!
Outside of class, work is much more society and anatomy based. It’s nice to take the time to read through the different elements of midwifery while chomping on a bag of Mini Cheddars and singing along to the soundtrack of Billy Elliot. Sometimes it can all get a little overwhelming, but when you take the time to read slowly, you realise you’ve learnt a lot more than you let yourself believe.
Between all this, I enjoy running my student midwife Twitter account (click on the button below to follow me!), engaging with my cohort, tutors and other influences within midwifery. Twitter provides an amazing platform for education and conversation, and opens up a world of new opportunities.
For the next two weeks I have self-directed study and a reading week. I hope to use this time to read more about what I have learnt so far and begin to make revision resources, a task I find enjoyable and beneficial to my learning.
See you next month!
