binbird

We are hoping to receive our visa in the next month or so and if we get it we will be heading to Sydney in about May.

I have no nursing experience/qualifications but I understand that a midwifery course has been introduced starting in March 2005 which you can apply for without having a nursing background. I believe you have to register for the course by November so hopefully I would be able to get a place on the March 2006 one at UTS.

Has anyone got any experience of midwifery training in Australia or any working knowledge of being a midwife in Australia? Any advice / comments would be very valuable. Thanks.

Binbird

Grayling

As far as I know you will have to pay to train in Australia.

Best check that out first.

G

binbird

Valid point - I am fairly sure I will have to pay to study. I have spent enough of my adult life drifting from one dead end job to another so to have the opportunity to be involved in bringing children into the world (such a special time in anyone's lives) and to call it work would be a real honour.

Have three kids myself and my husband says it would be cheaper to pay for the qualification than to go on and and have more kids of our own! Actually his take is that he has got three weddings to pay for already and a fourth would definitely bankrupt us! We could never get the recipe right for boys!

Binbird

LondonNurse

Have you sent off for an application form yet?

Have you got the correct qualifications? You might need them assessed. Midwifery via direct entry (i.e no nursing experience required) is EXTREMELY difficult to get into in the UK. 700 applicants for 25 places is common place.

Have you got some relevant "care" experience? Doesn't have to be midwifery - its a pain in the arse to get your foot in the door and volunteer for midwifery anyway due to CRB checks, baby snatchings, understaffing etc... So it might be a better bet to do some voluntary care work in the hospital on the general wards or get a HCA job?

The midwifery lecturers will be looking at your motivation to study midwifery and help women. Don't mention you like babies! They want you to be passionate about giving women a positive birth experience, informed choice,evidence based care, breast-feeding support etc... They'll ask you why you want to be a midwife NOT a nurse first. Do you subscribe to any midwifery journals? If so, write about them in your application. Shows you've researched your career choice.

Try www.studentmidwives.co.uk for inspiration and advice!

Bonne chance!

binbird

Thanks for your response and particularly the site above which is now bookmarked in my favourites.

Think I have adequate O'level and A'level passes to be considered for a place on a course. Have made contact with a senior midwife in the UK (a friend of a friend) who teaches at and is on the selection board at Bristol so have had a few tips from her although this was well over a year ago before the question of moving to Oz came up. It was never my intention to follow this up until 2006 at the earliest anyway as my youngest daughter will not start school until September 2005 (UK) and later if we get our visa....

I do plan to try and get some voluntary experience with our local community midwifes etc in the new year and I do have current CRB clearance due to voluntary work with the playgroup and toddler group in the village so hope I don't come up against too many obstacles.

Thanks again for your info and if any other gems spring to mind I would be grateful if you would share them.

Bindy