Calling all midwives...

Today is the International Day of the Midwife - a day when people around the world celebrate the work of midwives throughout the globe.

Each year on 5 May parents and midwives alike come together to share their stories and to spread the word about how the skills of midwives can literally be the difference between life and death, both of the new-born and the mother.

Edge Hill University has a midwifery team of seven who work tirelessly to ensure that the midwifery education offered at the University is the best it can be. Their work was recently acknowledged when they, together with the admissions department at Edge Hill, received not one, but two commendations from the Nursing and Midwifery Council who asses the quality of the provision offered.

Jane Morgan, Head of Midwifery at Edge Hill University, said: "We were all thrilled to receive the commendations. It is the first year that we have worked closely with the admissions department and it's just great to get an official pat-on-the-back.

"As a team, we work in partnership with several health care trusts throughout the North West, with our midwifery students spending half of their time during their training period on placement, out and about in the community.

"As a team of experienced and practising midwives, we are fully committed to supporting our students, mentors and clinical staff in their clinical practice. Our students spend a considerable amount of their time engaged in superb and outstanding practice, which has been reflected in the development of our grading practice tool and the commendation for partnership working."

Students are encouraged to look at the global trends within the midwifery profession. Only last year three midwifery students from Edge Hill took a step into the unknown when they flew to Uganda on a life-changing trip to learn more about medical practices in one of the world's poorest countries.

The students, Keeley Donald, 31 from Runcorn, Rachel Evans, 23 from Southport, and Emma Potts, 21 from Burnley, flew out to Kampala, Uganda, with Real Africa Excursions on 16 September 2008.

The three nurses did not travel light; their bags were full of toys, books and medical supplies which had been donated to them to take to the children in the orphanages, schools and hospitals that they visited.

If you would like to learn more or if you are interested in becoming a nurse or a midwife, the first of a series of informal talks will be held at Edge Hill on Wednesday, 3 June, 2009.

Train to become a nurse or midwife at Edge Hill University >>