New recruitment pathway opening doors from nursing to midwifery
Registered midwife Hannah Simpson
It was after caring for some of the State’s tiniest and most vulnerable babies that Hannah Simpson knew she was destined for a career in midwifery and woman centred care.
After working for more than four years at Perth Children’s Hospital as a registered nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the change in Hannah’s career pathway came in February 2020 when she was employed at Rockingham General Hospital (RGH) as a student midwife.
RGH Registered Midwife Hannah was successful in securing an 18-month contract to study and work whilst completing a postgraduate diploma in midwifery at Curtin University.
“The initial attraction of the student position at RGH was that it was much closer to home but my decision to stay was due to the fantastic team, supportive learning environment, and a diverse range of women and experiences that I got to see every day,” Hannah said.
“One of those incredible experiences as a student came when I cared for a very sick baby who required hospital transfer using the Neonatal Emergency Transport Service and for this, I was officially recognised for my contribution which was extremely rewarding.
“While completing my student contract at RGH, I applied for a registered midwife position through GradConnect, so I've now been working at RGH for almost two years but only two months as a registered midwife.”
There have been five graduate midwives employed at RGH since January this year with all of them recruited through the 2020 GradConnect process.
Rockingham Peel Group (RkPG) Director of Nursing and Midwifery, Heather Pearce, said several new strategies and pilot programs were underway to increase workforce recruitment including the direct pathway from registered nurse to registered midwife.
“To date, we have welcomed 57 registered nurses, enrolled nurses and midwives to RkPG,” Heather said.
“We’re in the process of employing a number of new recruitment strategies which include increasing the number of graduate places to assist with the ‘grow our own’ workforce strategy and we’re also seeking to convert the graduates currently on 12 month contracts to permanent where possible.”
For Hannah, the highlight so far as a graduate has been experiencing her very first birth as a registered midwife.
“I felt so honoured to be invited into such a momentous occasion in their lives and being given the opportunity to deliver my beautiful niece was an experience that will stay with me forever.
“When Alice was born I felt such a huge relief and watching Angus (pictured right) and Bek become a family of three was just incredible. I had so many happy tears running down my face and it is truly one of the greatest moments of my life.
“As part of my job I love empowering women and their families throughout any stage of pregnancy and assisting them to care for their baby so they feel confident when going home – there really is nothing more special than watching a family grow.”
