Midwife

Playing a role in the miracle of birth is all in a day’s work for Karen Wesley. The dedicated 20-year-old student is living her dream career as a midwife.  Wesley, who is in her final year of a Bachelor of Midwifery course at Monash University, has been named one of Australia’s top student nurses in the 2006 Australian Nursing Awards.

The Rowville student was one of three finalists in the sanofi-aventis Student Achievement Award (SAA) announced during International Nurses Week. The award recognises academic achievement, excellence in clinical skills and a professional approach to nursing.  Wesley says nursing was a natural career choice for her. “I always wanted to be in a career where I could work closely with people and help them as well.” Wesley says.

She attended an open day at Monash University where she learnt about a career in midwifery. “I really liked the idea of working with mothers and their babies in a hospital environment. “I felt it was an area where I could help people and have a role as an educator,” she says.

Wesley wanted to have a role in the birth experience. “The birth of a child is such a miracle. It is something so special that it is amazing to be a part of. “It is great to be able to help empower women. I like to be able to educate them on what they can expect before, during and after the birth.”

Clinical placements have allowed Wesley to gain experience as a midwife. Her placement in the past 18 months has been two days a week at The Angliss hospital in Upper Ferntree Gully. She has worked in the family birth centre, delivery suite, special-care nursery, postnatal ward and midwifery home care. “Clinical placement is a great opportunity to learn as much as possible from experienced midwives,” she says. An experienced midwife, or preceptor, is assigned to each student. “We get a lot of support as students,” she says. “Initially we are in the background observing and now we are at the point where we work on our own more, with preceptors watching over us.

“You need to gain experience by delivering 40 babies on your own by the end of third year.” Wesley was involved in her first delivery halfway through her first year of clinical practice. “Seeing the mother with her baby just after the delivery was so special,” she says. “They are so in awe of each other in that moment together. It is such a special moment when the mother puts the baby on her chest and they are skin on skin.”

Another memorable experience was being involved in a water birth for the first time. “It was very hands-off and natural. The baby’s father was very involved in the birth.

“The best thing for a midwife can be seeing a woman doing it on her own. Our biggest role can be to empower women to have confidence in their own judgment.
“Every woman I have been involved with has been so accepting of me as a student and I am grateful to them. I am grateful to the educators and midwives who have worked with me.”
Wesley would like to do post-graduate study and concentrate on research. “Research is really important in midwifery, to support our practice,” she says.

What attributes do midwives need?

“They need to be caring, compassionate, empathetic and understanding,” Wesley says. “They need to be good communicators, have confidence in their own judgment, be non-judgmental and respectful of cultural diversity, and good team players.”