Midwifery

[Hayley1608]

Are there any qualified midwifes on pf?

I would absolutely love to take a change in career and become a midwife, My question is how long did it take and what qualifications did you start with?

I currently have 9 GCSE's grade A-C and an NVQ Level 2 in business and asministration but no a levels

 

[babyem]

I'm not a MW but am a student nurse and have looked into MW training.
My cousin is a student MW and said the one piece of advice she could give me which she wished she had done was to do the nurse training for 3 years and then do the extra year to make it a MW qualification, as it is a very demanding and difficult course.

It is competetive in some areas to get a place on a MW course and some unis won't look very far into your application if you don't have relevant experience, i.e volunteering for breast feeding schemes, etc etc. I think that experience is as much important as qualifications. I think but may be wrong that you would need A levels 1.) to go towards UCAS points and 2.) to prove you have the needed writing and academic skills. I didn't have any A levels so did a 1 year access to Health and Social care course, which gave me the equivalent of 2 GCSEs to add to my existing ones and 2 A levels in 2 chosen subjects. I was also given alot of help and support to write CVs, personal statements etc in a study skills class.

It could be anywhere between 3-5 years to become qualified. If you need any more info I can dig out some of my notes and ask about x

 

[pringle88]

Hi!

I have pretty much the same grades as you but I did a health & social care course at college. I recently applied at college and have been put on an 'access to access' course which is 1 year long.. because my gcses were taken over 5 years ago they recommend you do the access course then go on to the to do access to nursing which is 2 years and then you can apply for uni which would be 3 years (but i am intending on doing nursing and then the extra 1 year MW) so I wont be qualified for a good 6/7 years!

might be diff in your area but that is how i have been put through I start my access to access in sept i cannot wait to get the ball rolling!

Good luck!

 

[babyem]

Thats the one! Access to nursing or along them lines!

 

[wannabmummy]

I'm a qualified midwife! If you have any questions, ask away! I didn't have any a levels either, and I did an access course in health sciences (1 year) and this got me on the midwifery degree. I started my training 4.5 years ago now, so it has got a bit harder to get on the course since! Best thing to do is try and volunteer in a maternity unit and get some experience because that always sits well with universities xxx

 

[wannabmummy]

Also if you can it is better to try and get onto the direct entry midwifery course (3 years) rather than do nursing for 3 years then midwifery 18 month course, as they are looking to stop the 18 month course completely over the next few years, so you may end up having to do 3 years nursing and 3 years midwifery. It is a hard course to get onto but you can do it and it is so worth it when you do! Xx

 

[babyem]

I'm a qualified midwife! If you have any questions, ask away! I didn't have any a levels either, and I did an access course in health sciences (1 year) and this got me on the midwifery degree. I started my training 4.5 years ago now, so it has got a bit harder to get on the course since! Best thing to do is try and volunteer in a maternity unit and get some experience because that always sits well with universities xxx

Yeah alot of girls on the access course didn't get onto the MW as they wanted people with lots of experience x

 

[Hayley1608]

Thanks so much for all of your replies girls!

It's something i've wanted to do ever since I left school and it was my plan until I dropped out of sixth form (I didn't have much choice, the people there were horrid) I sort of gave up on it all and now i regret it so much!

Do many maternity wards take on volunteers?

 

[Hunnie]

I plan to get on a midwifery course next september. The requirements generally are A-C in maths and english and then some UCAS points or equivalent.
Take a look on Uni websites for the full requirements xx

 

[Hayley1608]

I had a look on some of the websites but don't really understand what is equivalent to a levels. I guess like some if you have mentioned I nay have to do an access course.

 

[AugustMum]

Go onto the gloscat website and search for access to higher education. I go accepted onto the course this year but couldn't afford to go it seems like an excellent course and really well laid out. Try and get some volunteering on the go or even look out for hca jobs.

Im hoping it won't be too long till I can get on the course but Id go for children's nursing not midwifery, but it's the same route on to the courses.

 

[Hunnie]

I had a look on some of the websites but don't really understand what is equivalent to a levels. I guess like some if you have mentioned I nay have to do an access course.

My equivalent to a levels was doing an extended diploma in health and social care. I think the access course will be your best bet xx

 

[babyem]

Thanks so much for all of your replies girls!

It's something i've wanted to do ever since I left school and it was my plan until I dropped out of sixth form (I didn't have much choice, the people there were horrid) I sort of gave up on it all and now i regret it so much!

Do many maternity wards take on volunteers?

try and see if you get on to the bank staff or a job as a health care assistant. Bank work may give you more experience as you can often choose which wards you work on and may have to wait a while for a HCA permanent vacancy to come up x

 

[AndreaJayne]

I'd love to train to b a midwife but too many bills, mortgage xx