My main worry about being a student and working with different mentors is, that I may well be quite a bit older than some (if not most) of them.

I am not sure how they will feel about that, and if it could be awkward with some of them, guess I will just have to see and hope it doesn't happen.

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Midwifemissy x

Student Midwife 2007
Student uni rep
Educational Resources Manager

Please help us raise funds for a bereavement room in Honey's memory by taking part in the SMNET Auction & Raffle here thanks x

It's scary, but its one of those things I know I just HAVE to get over. My mentor is pushing me to do more handovers to the doctors when they do their rounds on labour ward. Most of them are nice, but there are few to watch out for, who I have been told grill you on everything and want to know exactly the quantity of Liquor on the most recent scans etc. etc.... oh my god. It's awful, you feel youself getting redder and redder, and stumbling over your words. And once you feel yourself getting embarassed, it just starts to snowball!

Mind you, there are highs as well as the lows - it makes up for it when you get some hot docs to drool over on your break (if you get a break)!

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3rd year Student Midwife

Heehee, I am 26 now and obviously will only be working with dr's if I need to transfer, but I did my nursing school when I was 18 and that included a rotation on the labor/delivery floor. I never seemed to have much trouble, I never thought about being too young. I was always older in my attitude than my age, though I looked probably about 14. I think that if there was ever a problem, I was confident in myself and the other nurses respected that. No one knows all the answers, no one.

As far as doctors, though, ugh. This is why I'm not doing nurse midwifery. I really don't like very many, but I just came to realize that some love to trip the nurses up and will ask them all kinds of questions just to fluster them. I got good at, "I'm not sure but I can check the chart if you'd hand it over..." at which point it was turned on them that all the information they were wanting to know was in their hands....i'm a bit sarcastic, too.

At least that means that if I have to transfer and get the "dirty woman trying to play doctor" bit, then I'll be able to sling some good medical term at them and shut them up. Not afraid of them anymore! lol

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3rd year Student Midwife

heehee, dr's like to trip up nurses but sometimes nurses play games too. It's forever a power struggle, and I've heard some good ones. You know you've been dealing with them for a while when you no longer feel bad about calling one what you think of him. Never got to that point myself, but I've heard quite a few older nurses put them in their place!

For some reason, I'm more intimidated by female doctors than male doctors. I wonder why that is?

Im like with anaethetists, I think its because in this particular situation the woman I am thinking off is VERY professional all the time, she doesnt let her guard down whereas many of the male ones do. Maybe its because shes had to fight to get taken seriously? but surely thats not still hapening in this day and age???

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J
StudentMidwife.NET Founder & Director

"You're braver than you believe. Stronger than you seem. And smarter than you think."
Christopher Robin in Pooh's Grand Adventure

Please help us raise funds for a bereavement room in Honey's memory by taking part in the SMNET Auction & Raffle here thanks x

I think it's all scary no matter what age you are!!
I'm 32 and poo my pants every day

True!!! me too!

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Haha Ollybolly that made laugh, I think some of our students say that some of the midwives treat them differently and women tend to take as they find so-to-speak, I think I would have found the academic side easier had I been younger, as I was sooo long out of learning, my brain is definately slower heehee

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Have you just been offered a place? If so and you want a mentor please post in post this forum (also post here if you would like a mentee)

I poo my pants with the labour ward coordinator, let alone consultants !!! In fact, I seem to get myself to the state of poo-ing my pants a lot on this damned course. Why's it so hard / stressy/ confidence-destroying most of the time. Honestly, I was a confident, happy-go lucky chick before I started - now I'm a jibbering stressed out wreck a lot of the time. I just want to be a midwife who's safe and practices in a safe way and who's lovely to women. I don't want to be involved in the damned politics/bitchiness of the maternity services. HELLLLLLLLLLLLP x