Written by Taylah Collins, UTS Bachelor of Midwifery student
1. What inspired you to study midwifery?
I always knew I wanted to work in the medical field, however I wasn’t sure in exactly what capacity this would be. After finishing high school I began working whilst I took some time to investigate different pathways to assist me in deciding which career I would like to enter.
During this time I was speaking to the mother of one of the families I was a nanny for. She was telling me about her experience of labour and birth and how the midwives and student midwives she had during her stay were what made her births such a positive experience. The midwives she had during her births had made such a positive impact on her that she still remembered all their names, even 10 years later. Hearing her story, and the monumental impact it had on her, combined with the less than positive stories I had heard from the women in my own family, made me realise how important and influential good midwifery care can be and how I wanted to be able to ensure other women could receive this too.
This led me down the path of becoming a midwife and it has been one of the best decisions I have made.
2. What are your career plans or goals?
I have a passion for rural health and ensuring that all women and their families have access to timely and appropriate health care. During my career I would like to facilitate improving the quality of and access to midwifery care for women of rural and remote locations.
As I also have a passion for the Special Care Nursery/NICU I would also like to aim towards working for NETS, the Neonatal Emergency Transfer Service, which is responsible for transporting unwell newborns from smaller hospitals to large tertiary hospitals to ensure they receive the specialised care they require.
3. What’s it like to be a student at UTS?
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as a student at UTS. As the midwifery cohorts are quite small – on average each year group consists of between 50 and 70 students – I have been able to get to know everyone in my year group, as well as students in other year groups.
As a result of these small cohorts, the lecturers are able to get to know all the students personally, which not only makes you feel like more than just another number but also fosters an environment where the lecturers are able to provide one on one support and assistance to students if needed.
UTS has amazing facilities for all health students; there are dedicated labs for nursing and midwifery which is highly beneficial in learning and practising new clinical skills.
4. What’s been your favourite subject so far?
My favourite subject would be Care of the Newborn, which is held in Semester 2 of Year 2.
Not only did I find this subject extremely interesting and informative, as it covered all aspects of caring for an unwell newborn but the way it was presented was impeccable. The lecturer was knowledgeable, approachable, relatable and relevant – and what could have been a very information-dense subject was broken up with real life stories and examples that made the information easy to understand and remember.
5. What’s your best advice for managing your work, study and social commitments in this degree?
I think the best advice would be organised, make a schedule of everything you need to achieve and try to stick to it as best as possible. Managing all aspects can be very tricky at times and I found making a schedule made it less overwhelming and easier to manage. Ensuring I scheduled down time also made me feel more in control.
Inside | Out 