A new career is born

Working as a registered nurse specialising in oncology, paediatrics and neo-natal intensive care motivated Rachael Hyde to pursue a career in midwifery -a move she describes as a shift towards more positive healthcare.UWS Midwifery Student Rachael Hyde

"I've worked in numerous fields of nursing but I really liked the idea of working in partnership with women and their families that are, on the whole, well," says Hyde,who chose to undertake the Western Sydney University Graduate Diploma in Midwifery. Designed for registered nurses, the 12-month course includes a hospital placement and is approved by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.

"The course is very practical,and I liked its relatively short time frame," Hyde says. She is months away from
completing the course and is now doing a clinical internship at Sydney's Westmead Hospital. She says retraining to start a career as a midwife is not for the faint-hearted. "It is a challenging qualification but what I've learnt in the classroom is mirrored in what happens on the ward." In addition to UWS' lecturers being qualified midwives, a course co-ordinator is based in Westmead, providing on-site help and advice to Hyde and the other 17 midwifery students.


"Since starting [the course], I've felt more loved than I've ever felt in public health - the intensity of it all is appreciated," Hyde says. Balancing shift work with a busy study schedule - including four days at the hospital and a day at Western Sydney Universities Parramatta campus - has been the biggest challenge. "There is a lot jammed into the [diploma] year," Hyde says. "I've had to be responsible with my time and how I allocate it."

She hopes the switch to midwifery will be a good long-term career fit. "It is definitely much easier to tell someone they are pregnant than they have cancer ...and it is personally fulfilling to care for women and be present at the birth of their babies."

Source: Sydney Morning Herald
Written By: Tanya Ryan-Segger
Posted: 20th April 2013
Type: Printed