That's really sad to read Duel.

I did the DE training. I think the general ward placements are really important, so long as you are given the opportunity to use it as a learning experience and are not used as an extra pair of hands, as in Duel's case.

The majority of women that we see as midwives are fit and healthy. Therefore, when we do get women with medical problems, or women who undergo surgery during pregnancy, it's really important to have had some prior experience of nursing.

In the past there has always been a good balance of nurse-trained midwives and DEs. So, when there has been a woman on the ward with a specific medical/surgical need, these staff have been able to draw on their nursing experience and support the DEs. However, as the years go on, I believe there are going to be less and less nurse-trained midwives around. So gaining relevant experience during midwifery training is going to be even more important.

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