Fundamentals of Midwifery: A Textbook for Students (10 page)

Life as a midwife‌‌
16 Upon successful course completion, the LME has to be satisfied of the student’s good healthand character, and that they have completed all the required statutory elements. The LME then notifies the NMC of the student’s successful completion and that he/she is satisfied that all requirements have been fulfilled. The successful student is allocated an NMC Personal Identifica- tion Number (PIN) and her/his name appears on Part 2 of the professional register. At this point the candidate has become a registered midwife and is licensed to practise midwifery in the UK and other regions of the world, where this is recognised.Midwives practising in the UK utilise statutory supervision for support and professional devel- opment. Annual LSA audit visits to maternity services indicate the substantial psychological, clinical and professional support that Supervisors of Midwives provide to midwives during their careers. Midwives undertake Post-Registration ongoing Education and Practice (PREP) (NMC 2011b) requirements and mandatory training, which is to be superseded by the Revalidation process in 2015. Additionally there are different career routes to consider.
Activity 1.5 What kind of midwife do you want to be? Think about a midwife you admire and that you feel is a good role model. Undertake a SWOTanalysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) to identify challenges and support frameworks for you to achieve your goals.
Career routes
To remain firmly rooted in clinical practice is the most popular career choice, with many oppor-tunities to advance experience and scope of practice. These include: intravenous cannulation skills; examination of the newborn; ultrasound techniques; labour ward co-ordinator; Supervi- sor of Midwives and sign-off midwifery mentor. Some midwives become advanced practitioners and/or consultant midwives by specialising in certain areas, for example, ultrasound, family planning, teenage pregnancy, domestic violence and healthy lifestyles. There is the option of undertaking further academic study by undertaking a master’s degree, or a doctorate. These provide the opportunity to undertake research positions. Midwifery management is a vital element to any maternity provision, which again can be a career choice. Some midwives become midwife educators, working within higher education or in a statutory capacity. This list is not exhaustive, but indicative of the pathways available upon qualification as a registered midwife.
Key points

Midwifery regulation is extensive and rigorous.

Essential characteristics for student midwives and midwives are deemed paramount to cope
with the demands of the profession.

Clinical practice, supervision of midwifery and education are closely aligned.

Student support is varied and readily available.
Conclusion
What it means to be a midwife, how you become a midwife and how to remain a midwife isentrenched in EU legislation, and professional standards. The professional status of a midwife is protected, the regulation complex and internationally compliant, the quality and academic rigour of pre-registration midwifery programmes is assured and career choices diverse. Statutory
supervision is a major strength of the midwifery profession. The pre-registration midwifery programme is challenging, as is the current climate of maternity service provision. The support
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‌systems in place are robust, and are there to be accessed. Completion of the programme andsuccessful retention of high calibre recruits to the profession is pivotal to maintaining the high quality provision women and their families deserve.This chapter has aimed to provide clarity to the evolvement of midwifery, and how student midwives are recruited and supported to become a confident, competent, compassionate, accountable and autonomous practitioner in the world of midwifery. The following chapters outline the roles and responsibilities of a midwife.
End of chapter activities
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Midwives must have the ability to do this.