Midwifery Lecturer

Job/Role Summary

– Educating student midwives at undergraduate and postgraduate level: planning, managing and leading lectures, tutorials and seminars, and facilitating student-led groups

– Involvement in the assessment of students, as well as in the development and evaluation of teaching and assessment strategies

– Visiting students on placement to promote good relations between students, academia and the clinical area

– Acting as Personal Tutor and Link Lecturer to provide educational and pastoral support to students

– Partaking in scholarly activity, namely research projects, journal publications, peer review,

presentations at workshops and conferences

– Sitting on educational committees, such as the Health and Conduct committee, in order to maintain the high standards of Queen’s University and the midwifery profession

– Contribution to university administration, for example student recruitment

– Social outreach projects, such as Open Days

Specific qualifications and experience required

Registered Midwife

MSc in Midwifery (PhD desirable)

Teaching experience (with the completion of a PGCHET during my 3 year probation period)

Evidence of research, journal publications and other scholarly activity

Career Milestones

– Working as a Registered Midwife for 10 years in a variety of clinical settings in both Scotland and Northern Ireland

– Continuously extending my clinical skills to include qualifications in HypnoBirthing and Maternity Complementary Therapy

– Being selected to undergo the Scottish Generic Instructor Training Course by the Scottish Multiprofessional Maternity Development Programme in order to provide nationwide training on Routine Examination of the Newborn and PROMPT

– Being awarded a Florence Nightingale Research Scholarship to undertake my MSc research project on the experiences of women achieving a Water VBAC.

– Obtaining my MSc in Advanced Practice Midwifery, and publishing my research findings in ‘Nursing in Practice’ and ‘Midwifery’

– Securing the post of Lecturer in Midwifery (Education) at Queen’s University Belfast

What attracted you to this job?

Before becoming a midwife I studied Modern Languages at St Andrews University, Scotland, and after graduating with an MA(Hons) in French and German I completed a PhD in Modern German Linguistics and worked as an Assistant Lecturer. My experience of academia fostered my love of teaching and learning, with the result that mentoring students was one of my favourite roles as a Registered Midwife. When the opportunity arose to return to the academic side as a Midwifery Lecturer at QUB, I was motivated by the fact that in healthcare much more so than in most disciplines, clinical practice and research and education are interdependent and intrinsically linked. As a result, I can still regard myself as a midwife, making a postive impact on people’s lives, but now in a different way as an educator of future midwives and doctors.

Enjoyable aspects of the job/role

– Interaction with students

– Promoting the links between the university and the clinical environment

– Developing my educational skills

– Rediscovering my enjoyment of research

Challenging aspects of the job/role

Balancing the competing demands of providing education, undertaking scholarly activity and the general administration required by the School of Nursing and Midwifery.

Important success factors

– The support (and endless patience!) of colleagues in the university and the clinical area

– Effective organisational and time management skills

– Excellent communication – networking is essential!

 

Advice for those considering the type of job/role?

– Ensure you possess the knowledge, clinical experience and personal confidence necessary for teaching midwifery at undergraduate and postgraduate level

– Don’t get frustrated at the endless administrative tasks – a university is a big organisation with lots of departments and employees performing different roles, but once you discover the right person to ask, help is always available

– So many new opportunities will come your way, so grab them! (But equally, don’t be afraid to say “no thanks”!)

Key skills that can be gained within this job/role?

My team working and networking skills have improved as teaching and research is shared amongst colleagues, rather than working for long periods alone as an autonomous practitioner in the MLU / Delivery Suite, focusing on one person (then two when the baby is born!) in one room at a time.

My confidence in my own expertise has grown by being able to share my experience with others on a daily basis – it reminds me how much I have achieved since being a student midwife myself!

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