Why more people need to study nursing and midwifery (2024)

Your country needs you!

As we continue to push through these unprecedented times, now, more than ever there's an even greater demand for nurses and midwives. If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the true value of our healthcare workers and the huge role they play in the well-being of our nation.

A general misconception exists in the media that the profession of nursing revolves around sponge baths and bedpans! Generally, today’s public is more educated about the important role nurses play in the wider healthcare community, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet, the truth of the matter is, unless you or a loved one has spent time in a hospital, you may not fully appreciate the breadth of expertise and knowledge that nurses and midwives bring to the table.

On the frontline of administering and evaluating treatment

Nurses and Midwives are key to the Governments plans for delivering a healthcare system fit for the 21st Century. Nurses are on the frontline of administering and evaluating treatment. If you’re a patient, nurses are your greatest advocate. Because they spend more time with you, nurses can comprehensively monitor your progress. They know what symptoms might be a red flag and can assess the effectiveness of treatment. They then communicate this to the wider multidisciplinary team. Keeping this open dialogue is just one of the countless things nurses do to ensure quality of care. This care is delivered in hospitals GP practices, and the community.

One of the main roles embraced by the nursing profession is the provision of emotional support. They understand the complexities and implications of an illness. They counsel patients and family through everything from understanding a chronic condition to coping with death and dying. Their knowledge of illness combined with exceptional people skills provides comfort and stability. For many patients, this relationship is an anchor at the most challenging periods of their life.

It's a true calling

It’s a physically demanding position; many nurses cycle through 12-hour shifts on their feet. We work Public Holidays, nights and weekends to ensure 24-hour seamless care when our patients need it. This selflessness is a key component of what makes Nurses proud to be identified as a profession. Nurses are a key member of the multidisciplinary team, this description of nursing was written by a doctor!

Midwives are equally important to the wellbeing of the nation; in recent years, in the UK, there has been an increase in the number of pregnant women who are living in poverty, who do not speak English as a first language and who need support in accessing services. This is particularly true of areas of Birmingham. Midwives are caring for increasing numbers of women with complex physical and social needs such as young teenagers, older mothers, the higher incidence of fertility treatments such as IVF, and women who misuse drugs and alcohol.

In homes, birth centres and hospitals, midwives are the lead professional caring for women and their babies in the majority of cases. And that’s for the over 700,000 women who give birth each year in the UK. Midwives coordinate a woman’s journey through pregnancy, providing the continuity to ensure that she experiences safe, compassionate care in an appropriate environment. They provide total care to women and their babies from the diagnosis of pregnancy as an autonomous healthcare professional as well as supporting the transition to parenthood right up to 4 weeks following birth if required. This requires advanced skills that have been associated in the past with medical staff.

Midwives also play a role in protecting the health of the population by supporting breastfeeding wherever possible. Breastfeeding has a proven positive impact on long-term health, reducing chronic conditions like childhood obesity and cardiovascular disease later in life of the child as well as reducing a woman’s risk of stroke.

We are all passionate nurses and midwives

We realise deciding to pursue a career as a nurse or midwife requires investment; financially, emotionally and three years of your life! As a School we are all passionate nurses and midwives, absolutely committed to providing the very best environment and support for our students, to ensure you are all able to succeed and enrich a profession we are immensely proud of. We are constantly looking to the future to ensure the facilities and placements we offer are reflect the variety of settings our students will be working in when they qualify, and into what is a hugely varied career.

The School of Nursing and Midwifery has some of the best employability statistics across any University course; the latest results for our School show that 99.6% of our undergraduate students were in work or further study 6 months after graduating (latest Destination of Leavers of Higher Education survey, 2016/17).

Nurses and midwives are essential for the wellbeing of our population

With challenges such as BREXIT, and the pressures on our NHS, it is more important than ever. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has realised this, and released new guidelines on preparing nurses and midwives to meet these challenges. In response to this, we have relaunched our pre-registration Nursing courses and are currently developing our Midwifery courses to ensure you're equipped with the knowledge, skills and proficiency to enjoy an enriching career while embracing the healthcare challenges.