Getting the balance right

This is some balancing act!

This is my last blog post! Can you believe it?  I can’t quite!  Not that I have finished my course that is.  Whilst the rest of the university is winding down for the summer, us midwifery students continue to plough on until September.  I do have two weeks annual leave at the end of July which is equates to my summer holiday.  Not quite the three months than some students enjoy; which is why it is so important to ensure your work and social life is balanced as a midwifery student.

Every university has a student’s union, and the University of Bedfordshire is no exemption.  I remember heading over to the Bedford campus to have a look around the Fresher’s Fair and was overwhelmed by all the different societies and sports teams on offer.  There is something for everyone – no matter your interest or ability level (further details can be found at the Beds SU website).

It can be difficult to commit to a regular activity such as a sport team when you work shifts and personally, after working a 12.5 hour day, the last thing I want to do is an organised activity!  Saying that, the benefits of taking part in extra-curricular activities are numerous.

Get to know your student union

You need time to relax and unwind – to stop being a student midwife.  Working and studying simultaneously can be quite draining, especially if you have had a particularly challenging shift.  Having an opportunity to take part in something which has nothing to do with your course will give you some much needed down time.

Being a member of a society or sports team is another great way to make friends, and you can never have too many friends.  You could also approach the student union about starting your own society with a group of friends – I regret not creating a midwifery society.

Another reason to take part in additional activities is they look great on your CV!  Employers are looking for well rounded people and if they can see evidence of a range of interests and hobbies this will instantly more attractive to them.

Extra-curricular activities are central to the university experience but you also need to ensure you dedicate time to your academic studies.  It is a balancing act; just remember not to try spinning too many plates at once.

Before I close, a little update on my last few weeks and what the future looks like for me; I received a very good grade for my dissertation and am looking into getting it published, I only need two more babies to complete my 40 deliveries and having passed my presentation, I only have a short essay left.

Next stop...graduation!

And finally, I will soon be wearing a blue uniform because I have been offered a job when I qualify. All I have left to say now is ‘Thank you’ for reading this and letting me prattle on each week.  I hope it has been informative/interesting/entertaining in some small way.  If you do decide to apply for midwifery at the University of Bedfordshire (which I encourage you to do), I look forward to meeting you and perhaps being your mentor one day in the future. All the best x

Wanted: more time

I would like to borrow Bernard's watch!

I can’t quite believe we are in March already.  I’m sure time travels quicker the older I become!  I have been told many times that my final year will go past in a blink of an eye, and I am starting to realise the truth in this cliché.

According to the countdown app on my phone, I have 187 days left of my degree.  This fact terrifies and excites me in equal measure.  I am also reliably informed that there are 84 days until my dissertation deadline.  *Please excuse me for a moment of mad panic.*

I have been considering my dissertation topic since I first put in my UCAS application.  At that time, I was interested in choice of birth place as my nephew had recently been born at home.  Then when I started my course, and especially after being a patient myself, I become fascinated by communication within healthcare, particularly between clinician and service user.  As it turns out, I am doing neither of these topics for my dissertation. 

Everyone has moments which completely change their perspective on life.  For me, one of these was the first time I cared for someone whose baby had died.  I remember feeling completely inadequate and ever since then bereavement care has become a passion of mine.  It seemed only natural therefore for this to be the topic for my (mini) tome.

Grumpy Cat feels my pain

My biggest stumbling block when it comes to writing is that I am a perfectionist.  If something doesn’t flow flawlessly, I delete it. This makes the thought of writing 10,000 words extremely daunting. Consequently, I have spent a lot of time formatting my title page and searching for literature.  Now, I need to put pen, or curser, to paper. 

By no means do I have all the answers when it comes to writing an essay, but 6 years of academic writing has taught me a few lessons;

Read the question thoroughly
Highlight the important words in the question – this will give you focus in your writing.

Dissertation = an excuse for new stationary

Start with a detailed plan
Write down all your ideas and start to put it in an order.  This will probably change as you start writing but it will ensure you don’t forget anything you wanted to say.

Begin early
It is possible to pull an all-nighter and write a 2000 word essay the day before the deadline but it is not advisable.  It will never be your best work.

Leave time for proof reading
There will come a point when you can’t see the mistakes any more.  When this happens, you will need a set of fresh eyes in the form of a friend or family member.

No doubt I will discuss my dissertation in a future blog post.  Hopefully I will have made more of a dent in the word count when I do!  Until then, see you next week.

The week gone by....

Hi All!

I hope your week's have all gone well and are enjoying the weekend!

The past week I'm afraid has been rather predictable. I attended university a few days and spent two days helping my family out. On  Friday and today I have been determined to focus on my degree project presentation so plenty of reading, highlighting and playing with Powerpoint. Yesterday I went up to Warwickshire to visit my sister so today has been my punishment for leaving the house :)

I assumed that I had the whole of February to sort the presentation out along with OSCE and exam revision, but the actual number of spare study days are slowly seeping away from me! I have written off tomorrow as need to drive 2hrs and back to collect a cake for a funeral, I then have uni on Tuesday, a photo shoot on Wednesday (long story) and a funeral on Thursday with university Friday and work in London on Saturday. That leaves Sunday to get back to the presentation!

I'm keen to know when this blog address is rolled out to those applying, so if you are now reading it I would love to know how your experience has been so far with applying and interviews? If you have any questions that you think I may be able to help with, please ask and I will try to assist!

Well, I hope to have a bit more to say next week, and am planning to pop a video blog up at the end of the month after I attend the careers open day to let you know how it went and what one day you will all be going through!

Em x