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Understanding and identifying nurses/midwives roles

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Author Understanding and identifying nurses/midwives roles

3littleones

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  • Joined: Sep 2010
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Sat Mar 05, 2011 9:03 pm

3littleones

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Mar 05, 2011, 09:29 pm

Oops sorry about that. I am new to this.

I am a nursing student (almost finished 1st year) and I am trying to map out my educational path. Before I do this I want to understand what roles people have on the maternity wards. I am thinking about becoming a midwife but am sure of there actual role. At this point in time do not think I want to actually deliver babies but am interested in everything else I have seen on the wards. Tell me someone in either private or public, what are the roles of most of the nurses/midwives running about on the wards? Are they nurses or are they midwives? If they are midwives, I am assuming that not all are delivery babies correct?

Rn2D2

jjrich

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  • Joined: Apr 2011
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Apr 27, 2011, 06:03 pm Last edited Apr 27, 2011, 06:03 pm update #1

Hi again 3 littleones,

The staff in a Maternity Unit basically cover, ante-natal care, peri-natal care and delivery, (In the birthing unit), post natal care for both Mum and Bub and also work in the special care nursery (including neonatal intensive care in the not so big centres). They also do Community Midwifery (ante-natal and post-natal care), can become lactation consultants (specialising in breast feeding issues)....anything that relates to pregnancy and having a new born.

Hope this helps... :)

Edited to add that you can go into Private Midwifery where (as Marie Anderson said)..deliver the woman at home.....

modified: Wednesday 27 April 2011 6:04:30 pm - jjrich

3littleones

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Apr 27, 2011, 09:00 pm

Thanks for the messages everyone.

jjrich thanks for the information. I would love to do Midwifery as you have described. However, it is the delivery component I not sure about. It seems like a huge responsibility. I would certainly trust my own judgements but I also know that births can go really, really well, or really not! Still, I have not been put in this situation yet and I think I will have to at least put myself out there to give it a go. I also have heard that midwifes burn out really fast - understanable I would think due to the nature of the job. And then it seems to be different in a public v private hospital setting with the ob involved in deliveries at private, but only in difficult cases in public setting. I may be wrong so feel free to correct me. I have a love for babies and maybe some other path is also avail to me. I know special care is avail but I do not know enough about that either. Still, it is great to be on this path. I am enjoying nursing and all that it brings. Happy days :-)

rivnurse

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Apr 28, 2011, 11:10 am

Re: Midwifery jobs are advanced nursing positions that require additional training above and beyond what is required to become a registered nurse.

In Australia, you can technically be a midwife without being an RN, although it is not hugely common (e.g. via UniSA's undergraduate Bach of Midwifery - Pre-registration).

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