International Day of the Midwife - Opportunities for Future Midwives

Marking this year’s International Day of the Midwife (05 May 2021) the Saolta University Health Care Group is asking people thinking about a future career to consider becoming a midwife.

Whatever pathway is taken, there are endless opportunities for midwives to learn and build their skills in a rewarding and joyful career. There are many job opportunities available across our hospitals. While many midwives started their career as a nurse and then chose the path of midwifery, students starting off today can specialise from the start and choose to study and train as a midwife.

Tracy Sugrue, Midwife in University Hospital Galway describes how fulfilling her career has been for her. “Being a Midwife is a very unique and humbling experience as you are part of a very significant and special time in any parent’s life. The Midwife is a constant presence through a mother’s maternity care from the booking visit, right up to mother and infant being discharged home. As a Clinical Midwifery Manager 2 in a postnatal ward, we get that special opportunity to guide and assist couples to transition into parenthood in the initial period after birth. This equips parents with knowledge and skills going forward in this special time as a family. Midwifery is an ever-evolving profession and this gives all grades of Midwives opportunities to expand skills and professionalism in many areas throughout their career.”

 A midwife is central to preparing women and their families for the delivery of their new baby and is a vital presence during all stage of pregnancy, labour and the early postnatal period.  As a career, midwifery is diverse and progressive, with options available in clinical, management, education and research roles. Throughout their training, midwives can gain experience and skills across different specialist areas, such as gynaecology, neonatal, theatre and even home births.

Angela Dunne, Director of Midwifery for the HSE National Women and Infants Health Programme explains why the career is a great choice for a student considering their options, or someone who might be seeking a career change. “While many midwives start their career as a nurse and then chose the path of midwifery, students starting off today can specialise from the start and choose to study and train as a midwife. Whatever pathway is taken, midwives can continue to learn and build their skills in what is truly a rewarding and joyful career. The HSE needs more midwives and there are a range of courses and job opportunities available in hospitals and communities across the country.

“Midwives provide care and support to women and their families while pregnant, throughout the birth and during the period after a baby's birth. Midwifery services are increasingly moving from the hospital to the community. There are now many opportunities for midwives to develop their career as the role of midwives continue to expand, these include clinical specialist roles and advanced midwifery specialist roles. Midwifery as a career is very rewarding, dynamic and self-fulfilling and we would encourage students thinking about their career options to consider midwifery.”

For Midwifery opportunities across the Saolta Group visit https://bit.ly/3vLxcym

Watch Tracy Sugrue, Clinical Midwife Manager at University Hospital Galway talk about how being a midwife is a very unique and humbling experience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9_K8QO0JZE

For more information on courses and education opportunities see www.nmbi.ie/education .

Or visit the following websites:

• University College Dublin
• Trinity College Dublin
• University College Cork
• National University of Ireland, Galway
• University of Limerick
• Dundalk Institute of Technology