Sarah O'Connell

BSc Midwifery

“Why did you decide to study at Anglia Ruskin University?
It is my local university, as a mature student with family commitments I needed to be close to home. Moreover, the university offered clinical placements in my local hospital.

Why did you choose to study your course?
Because I have always wanted to be a midwife and support women through what is a life changing event

What have you enjoyed about the course?

• The challenges of degree level study
• The variety of clinical placements undertaken (community, labour ward, post natal ward, day assessment unit, SCBU, gynaecology ward)
• Supporting women through their pregnancies. Especially my caseload ladies whom I booked at the beginning of their pregnancies, cared for antenatally, delivered their babies and cared for them postnatally. It was wonderful to build up such a special relationship with these women.

What was the best bit about your placements?
My journey through the course, starting as a nurse focused very much on interventions, and becoming a midwife, focused very much on promoting normality... and the realisation on completing the course that I had achieved what I had set out to achieve. Also the Labour Ward; supporting women through their child birth experience with the help of wonderful mentors

How will you use the qualification once the course is complete?
I now have a job as a preceptorship midwife in the Trust I completed my training in. I will be working two weeks within the hospital and two weeks within the community, so I will be able to consolidate all my skills whilst providing continuity of care to the women on my caseload.

Any other comments?
The course is very intense... Working full time in clinical practice, completing assignments and being on-call for caseload women means that you have little 'free' time. You have to have excellent time management skills, be focused and dedicated... and forget about having a 'proper' social life for a few months! However, it is the most rewarding experience I have had, I wish I had done this years ago and I would recommend it!”