Midwifery student Rosie shares her journey starting university in her 40s after attending an Open Day at RGU with her daughter, and her experience of the course.
How I found my path to midwifery
I have always had an interest in Midwifery. I trained as a learning disability nurse in 1995 and have enjoyed my career, but felt ready for a new challenge as my family grew up.
When my youngest daughter expressed an interest in Midwifery, we attended the RGU Open Day together. When I discovered that the majority of the course was offered online, and I could choose to have clinical placements in my area (Highland), I realised that this could be an option for me.
I applied and was delighted when I gained a place on the course. At the age of 48, I am the oldest in my cohort but do feel that my life experiences have been an advantage in many ways.
My experience of the midwifery course
I have found the course to be well organised and delivered. The teaching staff are knowledgeable and supportive, and I’ve found the course content to be interesting.
Embracing technology was challenging for me, but I am learning, and my peers have been invaluable when I’ve got stuck. The learning can be intense at times (particularly the first module – hang on in there!), and I would encourage prospective students to be prepared for this. There is good support from personal tutors and the student support team, so make use of this!
Going out on practice placements helps consolidate your learning and is definitely a highlight of the course. Being involved in women’s maternity care and birth is such an enormous privilege and you will have experiences that you will never forget.
Your peers will become friends and future colleagues and are also a massive support, as they understand more than anyone the demands of the course and the challenges of practice placements.
The course has flown by, and I can hardly believe I am in my final year now. I would recommend this course to students who want a career that provides care to women at a pivotal time in their lives. Doing it well can make such a difference to women and families.
There are lots of opportunities to make your career your own, be it in clinical practice, research, teaching, or leadership. I’d especially encourage more mature students to apply. They have so many skills and experiences to offer, and I’ve found learning later in life to be more fulfilling than it ever was in my youth.
My career ambitions beyond graduation
I am hoping that I will eventually become a community midwife, as I really enjoy building relationships with women as they progress through pregnancy, birth and early parenthood. Students get to experience this by offering continuity of carer to women they meet in practice. I have found this to be rewarding and the feedback from women I have worked with has been positive too.
As services move to this model of care, students will have experience of continuity throughout their training which will be useful as they transition into practicing midwives.
Rosie Fea
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