Midwifery assistants

Hello can someone please tell me the effect a midwifery assistant can have on a woman and her partners experience of maternity services ? I am asking as i am to present this for ten minutes to a panal for a job interview and my brain has gone to mush. Please help x

Hi I'm a midwifery assistant and i suspect looking at this question you are having an interview where i work! Your main role will include cleaning so that there is a clean environment where they feel they can relax. Providing assistance to the midwife so she can be fully focused on the woman and her partner whilst you are fetching anything they need or writing notes during the birth (often we have water births and it would not be ideal if the midwife had to keep wiping her hands dry etc to record times etc). Offering refreshments and drinks etc. Supporting the family with baby cares eg bath demos nappy changing and breastfeeding support so that they feel supported and can gain confidence in their parenting skills. Listening to them and giving them the opportunity to discuss any concerns or worries however minor. Being friendly and welcoming, treating the family with respect and preserving dignity eg knocking before entering birthing rooms etc and always gaining consent before you do anything involving the woman or the baby. Think that just about covers it! Good luck for your interview. Best advice i can give you is relax.

i can't really comment on job roles as such because i've not worked as an mca or anything -but when i had my 2nd baby i had a massive pph and consequently the room looked like a massacre had taken place -there really were pools and i was laying in a massive puddle of blood covered right down to my feet -well it was the MCA (actually 2 of them) that came in and got me sorted out. they genuinely cared and respected me -and while i was not entirely up to a lot of conversation at the time, they really touched me in the way they acted. can't really put it into words, but had they of made me feel dirty or inconvenient i think it would have had a huge bearing on how i'd perceived my care!! sometimes its the simple things!

also -will add it because it adds to how important the little things are -during my bleed when the mayhem started haha -sounds dramatic, but honestly there were so many people and i had no clue what was going on, there was one lady -[don't know her actual job role though!!] and she was the only one who wasn't actually doing anything such as putting drips in etc, but it was her that i remember most because she took my hand and just spoke softly to me telling me some of the things they were doing. can't even remember what she looked like, but she had long blonde hair in a plait!! so maybe that kind of thing is underestimated, but made a huge impact on me!

Good luck in your interview!!!

I work as a ward clerk on maternity at a large hospital and I'm not in a hands on role but I get to see what the MCA's do - generally they do a lot of fetching and carrying, tea and toast etc, making up beds, cleaning, some help with feeding, answering call bells if the M/W's are busy, helping with baby cares, helping women to get up to wash etc...
I think the most important things they will be looking for is someone who is caring, professional, able to work well in a team, understands the importance of confidentiality and respecting privacy. Our HCA's are fab and the women love them! Good luck, be yourself and you'll be fine
xxx

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Karen
Currently doing access course part-time Yay! I'm on my way now

thankyou very much for your help x

I went for a similar interview a couple of weeks ago, it helps if you mention 'continuity of care' (have a look on google!).
Maternity Assistants are hands on, by helping the woman and her partner in the postnatal period by helping bathe baby, or breastfeeding support if the midwife has more urgent things to do, or vice versa- the MA does the non-clinical tasks to enable the midwife to spend more time with the families.
That way there is always someone there to support the mum during her hospital stay.

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Its Good To Talk!!

Could anyone advise me on how to find a midwifery assistant job?
Thanks!

Go to www.jobs.nhs.uk/ and do a 'detailed search'. This allows you to specify the job and location amongst other things. However, seeing as how sometimes maternity assistants are also called health care assistants, nusing auxillary and a variety of other terms, it may be best to just enter the location and then trawl through the results for anything that might be an option.

To apply for the roles you then need to create an online account and fill in the application. Luckily, it saves your results so when you come to make another application you don't have to type it all out again (although you may need to change the persoanl statement to fit the job description).

Best of luck.

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Student on the Access to Health Studies course at Somerset College 2008/09!!

Cheers for that FM Kirby, I have booked marked this site now and will have to check it weekly! The only problem so far is that the jobs on it at the moment near me all have NORTH WALES NHS TRUST EMPLOYEES ONLY MAY APPLY plasted all over them! Why would someone already working for them want to transfer to a job only paying £13K a year?
Thanks again!

I feel your frustration, Lisakiwi!!!

Best of luck with the job hunt!

xx

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Student on the Access to Health Studies course at Somerset College 2008/09!!