My route into Midwifery

Midwifery graduate, Victoria Arthur, always knew she wanted to work in healthcare but was undecided in what area. Here, she talks us through her route into Midwifery, studying at The University of Manchester, and how she has recently specialised in Fetal Medicine at St Mary’s Hospital.

When I was younger I always knew I wanted to be involved with some sort of medicine or healthcare, I was always playing hospital games and was fascinated with all the medical equipment when my mum went into hospital. When I was around 16 I got a job in a care home to gain more experience in caring for people. While I enjoyed my job there and appreciated getting to know more about medical practice, I found it extremely emotionally challenging to provide palliative care for residents who were sadly passing away and wanted to find an area of medicine with happier outcomes. After doing some research I really liked the job role set out for midwives and organised some work experience with a midwife at my local trust in Warrington. I loved the day I spent there and consequently went on to apply for midwifery undergraduate courses.

I applied to various universities around the UK and even though I knew midwifery was extremely competitive I was upset when I got 4 rejections and only one acceptance from The University of Manchester. However, today I am so grateful I didn’t get any other offers as I was so happy at Manchester and wouldn’t have wanted to go anywhere else.

I had a brilliant experience at Manchester and loved the course. I thought the staff were amazing, in particularly Alison Busby and Aileen Mcloughlin who I worked with closely and were so supportive throughout my degree. I really liked the Jean McFarlane building and the provided study spaces and skills lab areas. The mix of university and placement taught me relevant theory while I was observing the practice skills and taught me good time management skills. I felt the course really prepared me as much as possible for my job as a midwife and I am grateful for all the experience UoM provided me with.

Since graduating as a Midwife in 2015, I have worked at St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester as a rotational midwife and have progressed from a band 5 Midwife to a band 6. I have recently specialised to work in the Fetal Medicine department where I work with a multi-disciplinary team to provide care to women and their families whose pregnancies have been complicated with fetal abnormalities or complications. I am grateful to have this opportunity as I am learning a lot and feel I get to provide continuity, support and specialised advice for the women we see.

Since qualifying as a midwife I have had some amazing experiences that I will never forget. The feeling when you watch and assist in your first delivery is like nothing else I can describe and such a high. I particularly remember seeing a breech twin delivery which was fascinating and a baby born onto the bed still in the amniotic fluid sack! I have also been lucky enough to receive some lovely cards and feedback from women which I will cherish forever.