Midwife

Midwives work in the community or in a healthcare setting, caring for and supporting pregnant women, their partners and new babies, before, during and after the birth. The work includes monitoring the health of the mother and baby both with physical examinations and with equipment such as an ultrasound scanner, counselling the mother on such issues as healthy eating or giving up smoking, and explaining the pros and cons of, for example, natural childbirth or pain-controlling drugs, hospital or home delivery.

Midwives also run antenatal classes, explaining to parents what happens during a birth and teaching pain-control techniques, and parenting classes, teaching the essential skills needed to care for young children. They look after the mother and baby during labour and birth, give advice on breast feeding and know when to summon extra help if something goes wrong.

Entry level
You can qualify as a midwife by taking a three- or four-year diploma or degree in midwifery, or by first gaining experience as a nurse and then taking a shortened course of at least 18 months. The minimum age to start training is 17.5 years (17 in Scotland), and you must pass a medical. There is no maximum age to begin training and maturity is an asset.

For a diploma course, you would need at least five GCSEs/S grades (A-C/1-3) or equivalent, including English in Scotland. For a degree course, you would need at least two A levels/three H grades plus some GCSEs/S grades (A-C/1-3), or alternative qualifications. Subjects such as science, social science, English and maths may be required.

Making the grade
At the end of your course, you must register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council in order to be eligible to practice.

Continuous professional development - updating your skills and knowledge on a regular basis - is an essential part of the job. You must maintain a portfolio of all the courses you take, and you will find that there are many opportunities for further training in areas like family planning, teaching and research.

Personal qualities
You would need the ability to get on well with people from different backgrounds, to help mothers feel confident and in control and to explain things to people who have no medical knowledge. You must be able to stay calm and alert at stressful times,
to build up trust with women and their families and to make decisions and work on your own initiative.

Good communication skills are essential, together with maturity, compassion and sensitivity. You should have a methodical approach and pay careful attention to detail.

Looking ahead
The NHS is the largest employer of midwives, but there are a few opportunities in private hospitals and clinics and in the armed forces. There are some opportunities to be self-employed.

You may elect to work overseas, but you should be aware that in some countries a midwife must also be a qualified registered nurse. Many developing countries need midwives, especially those who can pass on their skills to local nurses.

Career prospects are generally very good and you should be able to move up the career structure as you gain more experience and qualifications. At the very top of the profession are the new midwife consultant posts, in which you would spend half of your time working with patients and the rest concentrating on research, evaluation and contributing to training and development.

Alternative suggestions
You might also consider training as a dietitian, doctor, health visitor, nurse, nursery nurse, occupational therapist, physiotherapist or social worker.

Take-home pay
NHS midwives start on Grade E, earning from £19,000 to £26,000 a year. With additional skills, responsibilities and experience, your salary should rise to £30,000 and beyond. Midwife consultants can earn over £51,000. In all cases, additional allowances are paid for posts in and around London.

Effects
Midwives in the NHS work a 37.5-hour week but, as babies can be born at any time on any day, you must be prepared to work shifts or on-call rotas to give 24-hour cover. This would include evenings, nights, weekends and bank holidays, although flexible and part-time working hours are increasingly available.

Sources of information
NHS Careers: www.nhscareers.nhs.uk
NHS Scotland: www.nes.scot.nhs.uk
Nursing and Midwifery Council: www.nmc-uk.org

CRCI: JI