Mature student Gillian shares more about her career in healthcare as a Midwife and the benefits that studying at RGU has given her.
A bit about me
At 52 years old with a 35-year-old career in the NHS, starting with NHS Grampian in 1991, I decided to undertake the accelerated degree BSC Healthcare Practice Degree at RGU.
As a Band 6 Quality Improvement Infant Feeding Advisor with 28 years of experience as a Midwife, I have over the last few years completed a Breastfeeding Diploma on the London Breastfeeding Course. This has allowed me to challenge myself with academic essays and given me the knowledge and skills to sit the IBCLC exam to become a Lactation Consultant.
Building experience with exciting career projects
Prior to the job as a Feeding Advisor, I completed a Best Start Leadership Course. I worked collaboratively with a Lecturer at RGU on a small project looking at conversations in pregnancy on obesity. Together, we won an award with an academic poster presentation and worked together on a research article published in The Practicing Midwife, often still cited by students when writing about obesity.
Five years ago, I began in the Infant Feeding Team after 24 years of working as a Community Midwife, employed by the Scottish Government. I was tasked to look at Quality Improvement work. Completing a training programme with UNICEF and participating in an Aberdeen City Council Quality Improvement Course, I was delighted to participate as project lead for weight loss readmissions and currently I’m attempting a project to help reduce supplementation rates at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital.
These projects have allowed me to carry out small tests of change within my department using the (PDSA) cycles. Time and staffing challenges are often problematic, but with a very passionate team and colleagues we try to move forward.
Upskilling with a Midwifery Degree
I decided to apply for the BSC Healthcare Practice Degree at RGU as I felt that I had gained the confidence and knowledge to allow me to upgrade my Diploma in Midwifery to a Degree. The courses completed have allowed me to access current evidence-based research, carrying out literature reviews, teaching presentations and working alongside a very knowledgeable team and colleagues.
This I felt aided the transition into academic work and gave a good grounding and expectation of the amount of work over a short time period that would be expected. I felt it was beneficial for me in my current post and allows the Quality Improvement Modules to run alongside some of the work I was currently doing.
Combining full time work, family life and academic study has been challenging and has had its up and downs. Though, with the support of a very understanding husband Gary and daughter Emma, who has just finished her 1st year at Aberdeen University, I have reached the end and am so very grateful to have completed the course.
What I’ve learned
The degree has allowed me to learn more about myself and has given me the confidence to look ahead at further study in the future. I have gained confidence in challenging the status quo. Critically analysing practice enables women to be offered the most up to date evidence-based research to allow them to make choices in regards to their choices in feeding.
I have met a wide range of new friends and colleagues on the course, across a wide area of practices within the NHS, and learned so much from the virtual participation days and online chats.
Would I do it again? Absolutely, and would highly recommend anyone considering it, to take the dive and push themselves to apply. You never know where it will take you!
Gillian Swinscoe
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