Developing your midwifery career

If you’re an experienced midwife who’s looking for their next challenge, or you're thinking of returning to practice, we’d love to hear from you

We're one of only a few trusts in the UK that have the ability to care for people from before they’re born right through to the end of their lives, providing almost every specialism to over 1.9 million people living in Southampton and beyond. 

Your development is central to our vision of delivering high quality, safe and effective care, so we offer a fantastic induction and exceptional in-house and external training and development, giving you the best possible opportunities to achieve your career goals.

Working collaboratively as part of a bigger team, you’ll get all the support you need to do an amazing job as you explore where your future could take you. As well as the many other benefits you can enjoy while working for UHS, we look to provide flexible working opportunities where possible. 

Read about the support and development options available to midwives joining UHS below. 

 

INDUCTION

As a new member of the midwifery team at UHS, you can look forward to a comprehensive induction and supervision package to support you in your first few weeks with us.

The recruitment team will invite you to take part in a Trust induction programme. For this, you’ll need to complete or demonstrate evidence of your understanding of statutory and mandatory requirements. You’ll complete your local induction checklist over the course of your first three months at UHS.

Our teams and local support arrangements will help you settle quickly and feel confident in your new environment and role. 

PRECEPTORSHIP

We support and encourage you to get your career off to a flying start. Our preceptorship programme will help you make a smooth transition from student to midwife. This will involve experiencing all areas within midwifery as part of a rotation, from community and the midwifery led birth centres to the obstetric led unit. 

We are currently offering six preceptorship study days throughout the year, in addition to induction, and are receiving highly positive feedback from preceptees regarding support in practice. Here's what one of our previous preceptor midwives thought:

'Having now finished my first rotation as a preceptor I would like to give my thanks and comments on a superb first placement on labour ward. The protected supernumerary time and continued support and encouragement I received made the experience much easier and more productive.

Support from the co-ordinators as well as the other midwives was excellent. Everyone went above and beyond in ensuring we were supported and welcomed. A big thanks to all for making the transition to qualified midwifery the best experience possible.'

SIMULATION TRAINING

Our simulation training is widely available to all clinical staff, and can be used to benefit both singular departments and multidisciplinary teams. With the use of advanced technology and a wide range of both adult and paediatric manikins available in both the SimCentre and clinical areas, our training replicates real scenarios and caters for most disciplines.

We often base our training scenarios on past events, which means that we can offer reactive solutions to real identified issues within the Trust.

RETURN TO PRACTICE (RTP)

Are you a registered midwife who has been out of practice for a while? Perhaps your Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) registration has lapsed or you no longer meet the post-registration and practice (PREP) requirements for registration?

If so, we can provide you with the support and assistance you need to return to practice.

Currently this involves completion of a 20 week university-based component and a placement within the Trust on an honorary contract.

If you'd like further information about returning to practice, please email returntopractice@uhs.nhs.uk

POST-REG EDUCATION, LEADERSHIP AND ADVANCED PRACTICE

Following the preceptorship period, new midwives have the opportunity to opt for experience in a case loading team if desired. Depending on your work area there are also opportunities for professional development to undertake specialist academic education and training.

Within UHS we are very supportive of staff who wish to progress their career, and academic courses are available to support your development via higher education institutes. UHS also provides some accredited in-house training, provided by our dedicated team of education leads. Information regarding courses and study is available from local education leads and the staff intranet, and a discussion of which will be suitable for you will form part of your annual appraisal and development plan.

To find out more, view and apply for our latest midwifery vacancies or come and visit us at our next recruitment event. If you have any questions, please get in touch with our dedicated team at recruitment@uhs.nhs.uk