rachel2691

Hi all, Fairly new to this forum but just after a little advice/guidance.

Any British trained midwives that have moved to New Zealand to live and work?
I am currently a second year student midwife and seriously considering emigrating after gaining a few years of experience as a qualified midwife.

A couple of things I would like advice on if possible..

• Any relevant websites I could look at regarding midiwfery in NZ?
• Any advice on finding jobs and areas that you work?
  Is there a website where jobs are advertised, equivalent to the NHS jobs website?
• How do you find midwifery compares to the UK?

Thanks in advance

escapedtonz

Not 100% sure, but I think you need a nursing degree nowadays to be eligible and that degree will have to either be recognized in NZ or have been assessed as equivalent to an appropriate nursing qualification in NZ.

You will also need to gain professional registration so have a look here. You certainly cannot work here without the registration, however you may still be able to land a job pending the registration. If you are going for a resident visa via skilled migrant category then the registration will be a condition of approval :-
Home - Nursing Council of New Zealand

Also look at these sites :-
https://www.midwife.org.nz/education...ming-a-midwife
Midwife

For jobs, you can look on Jobs on SEEK - New Zealand's no.1 Employment, Career and Recruitment site or Buy online and sell with NZ's #1 auction & classifieds site | Trade Me or nz.indeed.com plus the individual DHB's (District Health Boards) will have their own vacancies that may or may not be advertised on the national sites.

We've recently had a baba and our midwife was actually from the same city in the UK where we lived before migration (Preston). There was a chance she could have been on the team who delivered our first in Feb 2011, but she'd already left the month before. Lucky for her as the care we got was shocking! There are a lot of UK midwives here apparently.

Selecting a midwife is very different here.
You don't just trot off to your local hospital and sign up with the midwifery team and then receive the care at the appropriate stages.
Here you research and select a midwife yourself then make contact to see if she'll accept you on to her books. This is done as soon as a female finds out she is pregnant to make sure she gets the midwife of choice as they get booked up pretty quickly. If you struggle to find a midwife yourself you can approach the hospital who will find you one that is possibly employed by them directly.
Usually you'll approach a midwife who has been given good reviews by others in the community so kind of recommended by word of mouth.
Many are self employed and don't actually work directly for the DHB's, but are paid by the DHB's for each case they take on from the date they accept them until 6 weeks after the birth.
Sure others will be along to correct me if I'm wrong or can add more detail.

rachel2691

Thank you very much for your reply, that is a great help. I will have a look through those websites. I didn't know that midwives worked like that so it is very interesting to know

inkedneonurse

Hi

im a nurse going through registration at the min so can help with that side of it.......

you will have to be registered before anything else...NZ expect all qualifications to be in line with their level 7 (UK BSC) but they do take post grad experience and courses into account t if you don't hold a degree. It is a long and laborious process (i'm 4 months in now) and as you would expect they are very specific with their requirements and how you prove them.

next check if you are eligible for for a visa and what type as not all skilled trades appear of the skills shortage list (mine for example).

I applied to accent health recruitment, they do all the leg work for you and are full of advice on the best way to do things. NZ is a small country and its best not to apply to the health trusts yourself as you can oversaturate your CV. Good luck with the rest of your course

scrubbedexpat094

In New Zealand the nursing council and midwifery council are totally separate. You need to look at the Midwifery Council of New Zealand. You will find all the information you need to apply for registration in NZ.
I am a UK qualified midwife (direct-entry) and registered here back in 2005. Ping-ponged back to the UK and returned in 2007. Worked as a midwife here for a couple of years then gave it up as the system frustrated the life out of me. It's a very different system to the UK and not as good in many ways in my opinion. It works for the women very well which is great but I found the lack of camaraderie and teamwork a big downer. I had less autonomy as a hospital midwife here than I did in the UK. You will need to do some courses here and work in a hospital setting before you can get a full annual practicing certificate. It's all on the website.

There's a lot more "us and them" I found working here than I ever experienced in Derby and Burton-on-Trent. There are some British midwives who prefer it here but I know of a good number who don't and either returned to nursing, got out or have found a niche role within midwifery. Amongst independent midwives there's a lot of 'burnout' occurring which the New Zealand College of Midwives is looking at currently.

Having said all that I wouldn't say give up on the idea if that's what you want to do. You may be one of those who love it. I'm just in the process of getting back in touch with the midwifery council to do a Return to Practice course . It's part of my escape plan from NZ, my ultimate aim to return to practice in the UK .

I would contact the DHB's directly about jobs, they prefer it if you do it that way. No fees to an agency and you can negotiate a deal with them eg. accommodation costs, flights etc. Though that depends on how much of a shortage of midwives there are when you apply.

Nurse_Abi

Hey Rachel

I moved to Auckland to work as a midwife just last
week! Midwifery is so different here and you are far more autonomous. I worked here last year on a working holiday visa and loved it.

The registration process is lengthly. Make sure you keep your uni transcripts. You need 2 years post reg experience. I'd suggest getting as much experience on del suite and community as possible. Around 80% of NZ midwives are LMCs, the rest work for the District Health Boards (a lot of this is high risk maternity care). As a LMC you can pick and chose how you practice and what you do! Some
Midwives just do low risk and others do a mixture and come into the maternity hospitals to do secondary care (IOL etc).

I have secured a job at a DHB as it was easier to secure a visa/job/get used to NZ Midwifery. There will be restrictions on your practice, you have more supervision and have to complete 4 uni modules. You could do this before you come over. I didn't opt for the skilled migrant visa as its expensive and takes longer to process. I am on a work to residence visa as it was over £1000 cheaper and took 3 days to process!! My Fiancé got a partner visa and can work anywhere he wants! It's a 30 month visa so gives you time to make up your mind whether you will stay (you will).

Good Luck!

MrsFychan

the visa works out the same as you have to apply after the 30mths to upgrade the visa, if of course you qualify, and that upgrade costs, but you are correct it is quicker to get but you are not guaranteed an upgrade after the 30 months and if you changed job you have to inform immigration and they have to check that you still qualify

rachel2691

Nurse_Abi,

Thank you so much for your reply, that has helped alot.
Did you work in a hospital or anything health care related whilst on your working holiday visa?

By uni transcripts do you mean all official paperwork from the university or documentation for numbers etc throughout the course?

Did you secure the job before you had moved there?
I was not aware of the work to residence visa, so at least I know that is another option to consider.
Did you do the uni modules before moving? How do you go about doing that?
So, I gather that you will then upgrade to a skilled migrant visa.

Sorry for all of the questions.
Good luck with your new career in New Zealand

Nurse_Abi

Hey Rachel

I worked in Auckland at Middlemore Hospital for 4 months. It was so high risk! Worked on their delivery suite, it was crazy! But a good way to get used to the maternity system.

Your uni transcripts are the ones you get after finishing a module. If you haven't kept them don't worry as you can request it from your uni for a fee (mine charged £75).

I used accent, a recruitment company, they can't help on immigration issues but are amazing at prepping you and finding you a job. It's a free service as they charge a fee to the hospital. I interviewed via Skype. If you go for a big city hospital they are accredited to recruit from overseas. I won't need a skilled migrant visa and can work for 30 months at which point I'll apply for residency. It's a quick route in but I have to stay with Auckland City Hospital. I'd recommend it as even with 4 years experience as a RM the midwifery council restrict your practice. You have to pay for supervision, I meet with a midwife and reflect every 6-8 weeks (have to pay $80 an hour to meet her!!). You can go out as a LMC straight away but you'll have to work in a team rather than independently. It might be something to consider if you don't like high risk care. However, you'll have to get the skilled migrant visa.

You have to complete 4 overseas courses (£200 each). You can do it online but I would recommend doing it when you get closer to coming over. It's baby checks, prescribing, cultural safety and NZ maternity systems. They are very into ensuring you keep up to date, think revalidation but 10x worse.

Good luck!

rachel2691

when you said you worked in the hospital for 4 months, what did you work as? As I thought you couldnt work as a midwife on the working holiday visa.

I wasnt aware that we have had any transcripts at all, i will have to look in to that, thanks.

I will look in to all that you have mentioned, its been a great help thank you

Nurse_Abi

I worked as a midwife as got my registration... And yes you can on a working holiday visa (guess it depends on the employer). When they hired me they wanted me to get a work visa when my other one expired and were going to sponsor me. You could come over on a working holiday visa, see if you like it then apply for a proper work visa after? Obviously the working holiday is very casual but it does let you experience NZ midwifery. The midwifery registration isn't cheap $1000 for registration then $495 annual practice certificate (the hospital paid for this for me). Another option would be to contact a LMC and ask to spend some time with them before committing. I have a few friends here who would be able to take you out. X