Midwifery Personal Statement

I am a highly motivated individual who has both clinical and research experiences in the health care field, and I pursue dentistry as my second career. I was a NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) nurse and have worked for five years in the major academic hospitals in South Korea as well as in the United States. I grew up in South Korea, and diversity is one of the most important components that I am looking for in the community. The diverse student body of the University of New England will broaden me academically and culturally.

The Australian College of Midwives believes that it is the right of every pregnant woman to have access to continuity of care by a known midwife for her pregnancy, labour and early postnatal period. Midwives are the most appropriate primary care providers for healthy mothers and newborn babies and are able to refer to specialist medical care if the need arises (Hicks, Spurgeon & Barwell, 2003). Midwives must work within the competency standards enforced by The ANMC Australian Nursing & Midwifery Council (2006) in order to obtain and practice as a registered midwife in Australia. Competency 4 states Midwives should “promote safe and effective practice” (ANMC, 2006), this is achievable by providing Midwifery continuity of care to women and

On my journey of becoming a registered midwife, I firstly gained experience working in the NHS as a volunteer on the postnatal ward at the Royal Free Hospital. This post has not only given me an excellent insight into the work of a clinical midwife, but helped me to enhance my communication skills and build my confidence in working in a hospital environment. The continuous training opportunities and the supportive staff has made me more confident that working as a part of the NHS team is the right career choice for me.

As an aspiring Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, I will graduate from UNCG with my BSN, work for a year as an RN, and eventually attend a graduate school to accomplish my ultimate goal of obtaining my DNP. As a neonatal nurse practitioner, it is imperative to exude compassion, while demonstrating critical thinking skills when faced with arduous circumstances. I understand that working with distressed families in the NICU will be a challenging task, both emotionally and physically. I am aware that it is my responsibility as a nurse to not only know how to provide physical care to my patient's, but to also attend to their emotional needs and the needs of their loved ones. Nurses are expected to be the liaison between families and doctors. So, in the

Know how to manage yourself and your time in line with team and organisational goals

Time-management is one of my core academic and employability skills I possess. This skill allows me to prioritise effectively, which includes planning workloads, alongside arriving in a timely manner to places such as work or university. Planning my time for university workloads ' is a strength I have, as I am able to organise and prepare myself, to meet coursework deadlines within the time period

As my days at East Ridge High School are coming to an end I, as well as many of my peers, have come to a very important fork in the road to our future- Where do I go next? When I ask myself this I have to answer with another question, Where can I attend school that will allow me to further my education and fulfill my dreams while simultaneously maintaining the consistent love and support of my family as well as remaining financially responsible? For me, there is only one answer- Chattanooga State College

As a young child, I was always drawn towards the field of health care. I remember reading about the many options that are held within it and wondering what path it would lead me on. Neonatal nursing was something that always came into my mind, but it was often pushed to the side by people and teachers who thought I should become a pediatrician instead. This became a real struggle for me, but as I grew up and began researching and exploring the health care field I came to a decision for myself. I came to the realization that everyone was wrong. I didn’t want to be a doctor at all. This sudden burst of independence from what everyone else wanted was the first step to reaching my end goal. Along with this, an accelerated education, volunteer

Being a midwife does not only defined by assisting women in childbirth. The general dictionary definition are the misconception of how people view midwives. Being a midwife means to be ‘with women’ and this leads the construction of the midwifery philosophy, Page (2006) 5 steps and Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) competency standards, in order to provide the best women centred care (Australia Collage of Midwives, 2017). This essay will cover a constructive overview of what Page (2006) 5 steps of being a midwife means, it will also defined what women centred care is and emphasis on the importance it has for the woman. Understanding Page (2006) 5 steps and women centred care helped build the pathway for midwifery philosophy to correlate with NMBA competency standard in order to support midwifery practice. For

Throughout personal professional development reflection is essential, allowing health care professionals to self-develop by revisiting events and analysing areas in which improvements and learning would ensure a positive impact on their future practice. The Nursing and Midwifery Council, (NMC, 2010) notes that all health care practitioners must be self-aware in their own values and principles which could affect their practice. Ensuring they maintain personal and professional development while learning through supervision, feedback and reflection.

As an individual we all have to have a better concept with time management, and how well we use it within our working lives. It is therefore very important that I try to keep to it within my working practise and look towards Maslow’s theory. Which focuses on the way that we understand our needs and differentiating them and setting time limits, on getting everything done. So that we do not enforce on after essential areas of your

According to the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNMb) (2015), home births account for 1.4% of all births in the U.S. In eight years the number of home births in the US increased by 41% (ACNM, 2015b). Providing home births falls within the scope of practice of midwives and is supported by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM, 2015b). A mother can have the option of a home birth as long as the home birth follows regulations set in place by the state and can provide a favorable safe environment for both mother and newborn (ACNM, 2015b). Both the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) state that the ultimate decision of having a home birth is a patient’s right, especially if she is medically well informed (Declercq, & Stotland, 2016).

My calling to nursing started when my father got diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015. I watched him suffering through radiation and chemotherapy, but what got him through those hard times was the help of some great loving and caring nurses. As I became more involved in taking care of him, my passion for nursing had greatly increased. Now, for nine years, I have maintained a commitment to caring for others in the field of Nursing. Being a registered nurse (RN), I have taken care of one patient at a time, which I have been involved in the amelioration of lives, and have only been left wanting to give and do more. Pursuing a master of science in nursing (MSN) is more than just a logical or natural progression for my career. It is a life choice, one that is backed by highly refined clinical judgments and in-depth exposure to an array of set-ups, and levels of care. In this personal statement, I will deeper highlight an explanation of my career goals, the reasons for my choice of Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) specialization, and lastly the reason for pursuing an advanced degree in nursing.

I believe as a Midwifery Student at Australian Catholic University (ACU) that childbirth is a natural life process. Within my philosophy, my aim is to provide a women-centred care based on evidence- based practice. Also the importance of supporting women with cultural variation, social circumstance and understanding other specific needs throughout the woman’s pregnancy. The women-centred care is an essential quality to a midwife as it ensure that the women is educated in healthy lifestyle choices within pregnancy, childbirth and during parenthood. This relationship of “women-centred care” is the key to midwifery practices as Australian College of Midwives (2009) refers to the philosophy of maternity care that promotes a holistic approach by recognising each women’s social, emotional, physical, spiritual and cultural needs. In retrospect, it is important to reflect on your past experiences during your midwifery practice but also your life beyond midwifery.

Two years ago, I was introduced to midwifery when my brother and his girlfriend were considering options for the impending birth of my nephew. Since that time, everything I’ve pursued and studied has helped bring me a step closer to becoming a midwife myself. I find pregnancy, childbirth, and babies to be the most fascinating things in the world. I spend heaps of time independently researching different aspects of childbirth. Last year, I wrote a research paper on the differences between home births and hospital births, and I’m currently working on a podcast about home births and the role midwives play. There's so much knowledge out there that I was oblivious to; once I figured out that pregnancy, birth, and even postpartum care need not be