Good point TallPoppy, I understand what you mean about the difference between hospitalised and medicalised. I had heard midwives referred to as institutionalised before, but not hospitalised, I guess that it's the same thing.

I too like the idea of independent practice as I feel that this is the only way I will ever be able to practice truly autonomously, but having put my family through three years of financial hardship, I feel I need the financial stability of a job within the NHS (if there are any to be had when I qualify).

I think if you work in any one place long enough that you run the risk of becoming hospitalised. I recently discussed this with a midwife who said that she thought that the best midwives were those who had worked in a variety of different places and so had a broader experience to enrich their practice (she has worked in the same place for years). I have worked in the same hospital/community throughout my training and as I appoach qualification I do find that I hope to find employment, well, anywhere will do to be honest, but ideally in a different trust, as I feel I need broader experience.

I agree but then I also think that if you work in the same place you also become 'expert' at it, you know how to get bloods done quick by know X in the lab, you know how to make tempramental machines work, you know who has what skills in an emergency... I can see the pluses and minuses, I think we need a mixture of both but midwives need to remain open minded to new ways of doing things, new research and evidence based practice....

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Hi All
I'm having a dilemma about where I want to work too.... I love working at the local midwifery led birth centre and am not so keen to work at the local consultant led unit. However, on making enquiries to various NHS birth centres throughout the UK, I've been told that I am not recruitable at an NHS midwifery led birth centre because when I qualify next summer I won't have any experience.

I know that working in the local consultant-led unit isn't for me,. but feel stuck between a rock and a hard place because I don't have any experience to work at a midwifery-led birth centre. And, why should I work in an environment I don't feel comfortable working in? Does anyone know of any NHS birth centres in the UK that recruit 'novice' practitioners - or any other useful suggestions????

This is exactly how I feel (though i have two years left yet) I have heard of midwives qualifying and goingf to work in community and birth centre settings, but apparently this is rare.

Absolutely dreading working in a consultant led unit on qualifying as I hated the hospital placement (well, there were good points) I hated the belief of 'turn up the synto' for every situation and the high lscs rate.

I think it is pants myself

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Just to give you an IM perspective... of course I tend to be bias but will try not to be!

IM's do not really stop working. I am always available on the phone 24/7 to my women and believe, I DO get called at 2am re: penny size blood clot! I have reams of paperwork to do..if you think the NHS is ridiculous, then you won't like IM paperwork! IM is my life..which suits me and I have a very understanding husband but it may not fit into other peoples situations. There have been lots of time when I have been in the cinema/restaurant/pub/concert/parents evening (!) and the phone has rang with a question/enquiry/call out! These are negative but trying to tell it how it is.

However, we do have flexibility in that we can attempt to plan our week, but a lot of women work in the day so a lot of appointments tend to be in the evening and weekend. This works very well for me with school run committments etc...

I have worked on my own for a long time now and it can be quite isolating but very rewarding. I like the one to one care that I give and although I do work alone, there are other IM's at the end of the phone. Unlike a lot of hospital situations, IM's are very supportive of each other and will help you out if you needed it. We are a dwindling race of midwives now though with the indemnity insurance thing hanging over us and we are all a bit down at the moment...reality bites and all that. We are getting closer to the day when we may be told to stop practising without insurance and it sad.

Independent midwifery is very intense but also liberating as a midwife. You can really find you own way to practice and relate to women and there is nothing better than to assist a woman through birth who has become friend.

I love what I do, but I truly believe that we all need to find our niche and what is right for me may not be right for other people. We need good hospital based and community based midwives...working in the NHS is very hard and requires dedication and ultimately focus as it is so easy to get swamped under the stress of it all and forget why you wanted to be a midwife in the first place. I personally couldn't work on a consultant led delivery suite full time or even part time as I can't face half of the stuff that goes on there...but that doesn't mean to say that it is not right or needed (ok there are loads of things that go on that are unnecessary) and we need midwives who are happy in that area of practice... not all women are normal and we require midwives who like to work in high risk/abnormal...depsite our focus on normal.

Unfortunately, the choice for a lot of you may be taken away if IM's are forced out of business but we won't go without a fight! So we need your support to keep this option of care open to women and midwives....please support the Save Independent Midwifery campaign.

Vic xx

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Vicky
Liverpool Independent Midwives

I loved your reeading your post Vicky and when i first came into midwifery what you descrobed above is exactly what i thought midiwfery was. During my training i have only had the chnace to work in a consultant led unit but when i qualify i would like to work in a midwifery led unit.

One of the studnets from my uni who qualified last year when straight into IM and has reported that everyone around her is so helpful its something that i would like to consider but as you say with the insurance issue as it is at the moment its a difficult issue. Anyway i just wanted to say thank you for ur post it has really made me think about my future career and what i would like to do with it.


Leah xxx

Hi Leah
There is the Chorley MLU not far from you. BUT, they only take on mw's who have been working in the NHS for a year or more . So they want you to get a years experience on a CLU before you go and work in an MLU!! Doesn't make sense at all! There are quite a few units in the north west now that have an MLU so you could maybe focus on those hospitals for work...although a lot of them are only offering bank work.

Best of luck!
Vic xx

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Vicky
Liverpool Independent Midwives