OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES & ADVANCEMENT IN MIDWIFERY

Opportunities, Challenges & Advancement within Profession of Midwifery

Opportunities, Challenges & Advancement within Profession of Midwifery

Introduction

Midwifery is one of the world's oldest professions. It is cited not only in ancient texts but also even mentioned throughout the Bible. It is the age-old practice of providing assistance to women all through the processes of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum period (Position Paper 26, 2006, p. 1). Because of the nobility of the profession, I always wanted to be a midwife since a long time. I want to provide a family-centred primary healthcare to women. I want to support women and their families through a satisfying and safe transition to motherhood, with the key traits of midwives, i.e. warmth, passion, dedication and understanding. This paper is a brief review of the opportunities for, and challenges to, advancement within midwifery.

Discussion

Current Job Market

Midwifery, in the modern day, is weighted down by economic constraints, staff shortages and a high birth rate. In accordance with a recent report by the Royal College of Midwives, there has been a 22% increase since 2001; whereas the increase is as much as 63% in some areas like Northamptonshire and Corby. In spite of an increase in midwives in United Kingdom, there is still a large shortage of practicing midwives; however, it is quite surprising that even though, the shortage of midwives and an increased birth rate are unquestionable issues, there are far more candidates for midwifery than available training places available and, more disturbingly, a shortage of jobs is being reported by newly qualified midwives on graduation (Blamire, 2013). However, on the whole, Midwives are in demand, so there are excellent career prospects for them in a diverse range of healthcare environments, from hospitals, clinical settings, the birth and community centres.

Opportunities

The working hours of a midwife are usually 37.5 hours a week that include evening, weekend and night shifts. Part-time hours are also offered by many hospitals. As a midwife, I have a range of place available to offer my service, including GP surgeries, hospital maternity units, birth centres and midwife units. I can also go to clinics or give a visit to clients in their homes as a community midwife. In fact, in some NHS trusts, there is also a possibility for midwives to split their time between working in the community and in hospitals; whereas, in other trusts, every six months- ...