Your student news: Spring 2019

on 05 March 2019 Midwives Magazine Student midwives

What’s new in the student world? Your chance to tell us where you’ve been and what you’ve been up to...

SMF says hello

Meet the new forum members

We are delighted to welcome the following new Student Midwives Forum members, elected in December 2018:

• Mhairi McLellan and Rachael Dewey for Scotland
• Amy Yorath for Wales
• Melissa Tweddle for England North
• Jessica James-Hill for England Midlands and East
• Lara Carter for England South We would also like to say a big thank you to our forum members who have just qualified. It has been a pleasure working with you all and we look forward to doing so again in the future in other capacities.

We wish you all the best in your new jobs. For further information or to contact any member of the forum please go to bit.ly/RCM_SMF

RCM MidSoc Grant

Supporting students

To encourage the growth and success of student midwifery societies, the RCM offers an annual grant of £250 payable to any society that can meet the required criteria. Further information on the grant and how to apply can be found at bit.ly/mid_soc_grant

Celebrating the future

Having a ball

The midwifery society at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) welcomed 200 guests to its second annual charity ball, the CCCU MidSoc Bannister Ball. The evening included live music, dinner and performances from the Musical Theatre Society and the Show Choir Society.

For the society, 2018 has been about setting up a fund in memory of one of the founding members, Lucy Bannister, who sadly passed away in October 2017. The event raised £2600, which has been put towards the newly founded Lucy Bannister Fund to provide financial support for CCCU student midwives to reduce degree drop-out rates.

Leading the way

#150Leaders

The Council of Deans of Health has named newly elected SMF member Mhairi McLellan at Robert Gordon University as Britain’s leading student midwife.

#150leaders is a Council of Deans initiative to help develop leadership in future healthcare professionals. It is targeted at 150 students of nursing, midwifery and allied health professional courses across the UK. The programme offers exposure to leadership training, networking and mentoring.

‘It was such an honour even to be nominated for the #150Leaders award, let alone win,’ said Mhairi. ‘Whoever nominated me, I can’t thank you enough!’

Power to the people

Protesting staff shortages

Alice Kersey, outgoing SMF member for England, writes: ‘At the end of November 2018, I had the amazing opportunity to be photographed by world-renowned photographer Rankin. I, along with other amazing people from student unions and the National Union of Students were representing young people for the People’s Vote campaign.

‘The national midwife shortage will only get worse if we cannot attract or keep our EU-trained midwives. That means the maternity care we can offer all women, suffers. The pressure on all maternity care staff gets worse too.

‘A People’s Vote puts the power back in to the public’s hands. It isn’t about leaving or remaining anymore, it’s about securing the best deal possible for the UK.’

Scotland's Student Conference

Challenging adversity

The midwifery societies of Robert Gordon University, the University of the West of Scotland in Lanarkshire and Edinburgh Napier University have teamed up to organise a Scotland-wide conference for student midwives in Dundee in June.

The theme of the conference is ‘Optimising outcomes in adversity’. Presentations will support and encourage students to reduce the inequalities faced by vulnerable groups. For updates and tickets, visit Twitter @Scot_STMW_Conf and Facebook @ScotSTMWConf

Celebrating the centenary of the Midwives Act in Ireland

Be brave, be kind

The Queen’s University Belfast Midwifery Society hosted the second annual All Ireland Student Midwives conference in December. The conference aimed to unite students from the north and south of Ireland, encourage shared learning experiences and celebrate Irish midwifery in line with the centenary. Amazing speakers including Sheena Byrom and Jeannine Webster echoed the key message of the conference: be brave and be kind.