Mothers typically stay a minimum of 48 hours in a health facility after delivery before being discharged. Care is often midwifery-led, meaning that midwives care for a woman throughout her pregnancy, during delivery and after the birth. Post-natal care can involve following up the mother and baby after a few weeks at home or in the community.
Midwives who work in regional areas may be required to work closely with GP obstetricians who provide shared care as well as allied health professionals such as specialist lactation consultants. It is preferable for midwives who want to work in regional areas to also be qualified as a Registered Nurse as they may be required to work outside their scope as a midwife but positions for Registered Midwives are sometimes available. The 2015 workforce report states that on average midwives worked around 22 hour per week in midwifery with the rest of hours worked in other areas of nursing. The majority of midwifery hours are spent in post-natal care, closely followed by care during labour and birth.
Being a midwife is of course rewarding work but it is also demanding. A woman’s labour is unpredictable. Working as a regional midwife often means being called to a birth at any time of the day or night. Those currently working as midwives in regional areas highlight the importance of self-care and work-life balance. They recommend a good support network, particularly for those with families to help midwives manage working shirts and being on-call. An advantage of working in a regional area is a slower pace of life. There is no having to deal with rush hour traffic yet most regional areas are within a few hours’ drive of a large city for shopping and nightlife. The Nursing and Midwifery workforce report 2015 found that midwives working in inner regional areas work on average 32.5 hours per week which was significantly lower than that of major cities and very remote areas.
Three times as many midwives work in the public sector as in the private sector. Due to an aging workforce and a rapidly expanding population, midwives are currently in demand. HealthStaff Recruitment currently has a number of positions listed for midwives in both city and regional areas so why not take a look at our job board today and see if there is a position that’s right for you.