Louise Davies

I was interested in a career in midwifery from a young age. Having my own children made it even more clear that this was definitely something that I was passionate about and wanted to pursue.

I visited Edge Hill prior to applying for my course and attended again for an Offer Holder Day, it made an impression both times. I had offers at other universities but chose Edge Hill because it felt the most welcoming.

The top three skills I’ve developed during my degree are:

• Resilience – learning new skills takes time and doesn’t happen overnight. I’ve learned to be resilient when trying new things in practice or on placement, and understand that skills will only come with lots of exposure and experience, not taking it to heart when things don’t fall into place immediately.
• Time management – having lots of deadlines so close together for various assessments has meant I’ve had to plan carefully, several months in advance, to ensure that I’m meeting deadlines and producing good quality work.
• Communication skills – my communication skills have developed immensely, not just in practice, but at University too. As a course representative, I’m required to communicate with staff, senior leaders and practice representatives to present themes in feedback gathered from my cohort. My communication skills have benefited hugely from this, and I feel it will be beneficial for my future career as a midwife.

Highlights of my degree include delivering lots of beautiful babies, supporting women at their most vulnerable, and providing advocacy and compassion when women need it most. Academically, being nominated for the Anne Kilfoyle Award for demonstrating excellence in my midwifery training was definitely a standout – and very humbling – moment.

Storytelling is my favourite thing about the degree. Lecturers share stories of their time as midwives and make the content they’re teaching relatable. Sharing stories and experiences from practice with other students is also really useful.

The campus is a lovely, welcoming environment for all students. Having attended other universities, I feel Edge Hill is unique in how the campus makes you feel at ease.

The Clinical Skills and Simulation Centre is a really great learning environment. As a cohort, we’ve had some great sessions in there. I also like the Catalyst as you can book private rooms to study in, which is really useful.

The support I’ve had from the midwifery teaching team has been amazing. Our Year Lead has been incredible in making sure that we’re prepared for all our assessments, prepared for job applications, keeping us on track in practice and offering additional support at every turn.

My advice to anyone considering studying midwifery at Edge Hill would be to go for it. It’s probably one of the more difficult courses in terms of managing and maintaining a good work-life balance, but the positives are huge and there’s massive job satisfaction from working with women, babies and their families. It’s extremely rewarding.