Maternity Unit Welcomes Future Midwives

As part of their visit to the Maternity Unit, pupils were given an opportunity to see a birthing suite,

​Senior pupils from Stromness Academy and Kirkwall Grammar School who are interested in a career in Midwifery were recently given the opportunity to visit the Maternity Department at The Balfour.

​While Midwifery is a popular career choice for young people, it is not easy for school pupils to undertake work experience to gain an insight into the career.  Following discussions with DYW Orkney, NHS Orkney developed a programme of activity to help pupils gain valuable experience and knowledge which will be a huge help when applying for College, University or future employment.

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 During the visit to the hospital, pupils were able to speak to Lauren Flett, the Senior Charge Midwife, and learn more about the role of a Midwife and some of the activities they would undertake as part of their duties.  The role of the Midwife in Orkney is very different from that in a larger hospital in an urban area, so it was useful for pupils to understand the opportunities they may experience locally versus further south.

Lauren also spoke about her own career journey which involved studying General Nursing before specialising as a Midwife.

Pupils also learnt about the alternative pathways into a career with the NHS, including work-based learning and the chance to gain their nursing qualification with NHS Orkney through the Open University.

Rhiannon Taylor who is a newly qualified Midwife, was also on hand to give useful advice on applying to study Midwifery at university - from completing their UCAS form to the interview - and also spoke about the course and some of the placements she undertook.

Finally, they were also given a chance to see one of the birthing suites to get a better understanding of the clinical environment midwives work in.

This was a really useful session for all of the pupils and gave them an excellent insight into a career in Midwifery.

This visit is part of a wider programme of activity to support the pupils in gaining an insight into their future career.  They have also had the opportunity to undertake the Teenage Solihull Approach with the OIC’s Early Years Team (read more here).  This course covers early child development and is beneficial for pupils who are interested in working with infants and young children.

Further activity is planned which will give them a fuller understanding of a career in Midwifery.

We would like to thank everyone at NHS Orkney for their support in developing and facilitating this visit.