‘The world is your oyster, my girl’-these are the wise old words my grandmother said to me when I told her that I'd passed my midwifery degree. Reflecting back on that time, I wish I had really listened to her and truly believed that. The reality is, in the months following graduation, I felt a little lost; like my stabilisers had been removed and I was riding cautiously and wearily towards the edge of a cliff. I know I was not alone in feeling like that and all of my friends were feeling the same.
‘Look out ‘cause here I come
And I'm marching on the beat I drum
I'm not scared to be seen
I make no apology, this is me’
The memories of my time as a newly qualified midwife replays often in my mind, with these lyrics as the soundtrack-despite being released over a decade since that time. I entered preceptorship without a real thought or plan about what was next for me but I knew that I wanted to make a difference to women and their families. I had worked so hard to become a midwife that when I could finally practice as a rotational midwife on the ward, I thought that I was set and sorted for the rest of my life, especially as I was a direct entry midwife. However, this couldn't have been further from the truth.
In the years following qualification, I bumbled along, not sure of my career aspirations, grabbing opportunities as they arose, with the constant thought that I wanted to make a difference and be the best midwife I could be. In my first five years after graduating, I gained experience as a high-risk labour ward midwife, worked within the community setting and as a rotational midwife in a midwifery led unit. Each new challenge gave me opportunities to enhance and develop my knowledge and skills as a practitioner. I was also lucky enough to work with some amazing women and families who further shaped and moulded me into the person I am today.
After those first five years, I became fatigued and lost. A job was advertised as an antenatal and newborn screening coordinator and I decided to take a leap, although I knew little about the role or what it entailed. This job really opened my eyes to the wider world of midwifery. It also gave me the confidence to push the boundaries of my knowledge and apply midwifery principles in a different field. I undertook specialist training in sexual health, genetic testing and haemoglobinopathies-these extra skills enabled me to further explore the role of a midwife in the wider public health arena. I also completed a master's degree in health promotion and public health which again enabled me to further enhance my knowledge.
As a direct-entry midwife, I was constantly told, ‘You're just a midwife. You will never be able to do anything different.’ Now, looking back, I kick myself for even believing what these colleagues said. As a midwife, you are a registered healthcare professional; you have an abundance of transferable skills which can be applied in a huge variety of different ways. Many of the students I qualified with have amazing careers and are not all in midwifery. It is fascinating when we all catch up and discuss our careers; midwife, university lecturer, special care nurse, government jobs within the department of health, and quality and assurance lead for a large trust.
There has never been a better time to be a midwife. The role of the midwife is so diverse and today, more than ever, has a high profile within the NHS. The publication of ‘Better births’ (NHS, 2016) and the NHS (2019) ‘Long term plan’ has firmly placed maternity at the forefront of almost all care within the NHS. It is the foundation that influences and impacts on care for generations to come and remains high on the political and social agendas for many. Whatever pathway you take following qualification, it is essential that a strong foundation of knowledge is maintained as well as a constant reminder of why you entered the profession. It is easy to lose focus and question why you chose this profession at times but remember that every woman you come into contact with will remember how you made her feel. I wish I could go back the time when I first qualified and tell myself that whatever path I chose, I would always make a difference to women and that my grandma would always be right.
As a midwife, whatever career path you choose, the world is your oyster. There may be times that you have to march to the beat of your own drum, hold your head up high and have the confidence to say, ‘This is me!’