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Paramedic or midwifery help

I’m in my final year of college and still struggling to pick, I really want to have the best university experience as possible and I would like to know which one has the best social aspects whilst I’m at university. I understand going into these courses does mean a slightly different university experience than most but I still want to know which is more sociable and I’m worried I’m gonna make a mistake for what I’ve applied for. I get excited about the rush of being a paramedic and the fact that I’m not stuck in one place on a ward but also I worry about the rates of death I will witness which obviously there is death when people are giving birth but I feel I may be more prepared for that when it’s in the same environment every day, I worry I may be bored as a midwife though, but I also find that job really appealing. If anyone can offer any insight at all to help me that would be so fab xo
Original post by cody_luana
I’m in my final year of college and still struggling to pick, I really want to have the best university experience as possible and I would like to know which one has the best social aspects whilst I’m at university. I understand going into these courses does mean a slightly different university experience than most but I still want to know which is more sociable and I’m worried I’m gonna make a mistake for what I’ve applied for. I get excited about the rush of being a paramedic and the fact that I’m not stuck in one place on a ward but also I worry about the rates of death I will witness which obviously there is death when people are giving birth but I feel I may be more prepared for that when it’s in the same environment every day, I worry I may be bored as a midwife though, but I also find that job really appealing. If anyone can offer any insight at all to help me that would be so fab xo

I can tell you the name of the first patient I saw that died, but I couldn't tell you the last. After a while you do get used to the idea, because it really isn't every day.

The jobs are very different. Midwifery is obviously dealing with pregnant women and their problems - depending where you work it might be UTIs and heartburn, or you might just do births only. Some babies will unfortunately be stillborn, and you might be dealing with earlier term miscarriages and abortions.

As a paramedic, you'll get anything and everything. You will attend some births, some pregnancy related problems, some deaths, and a whole load of other things.

I can't comment on midwifery specifically, but every patient is different. Even with the same presenting complaint there are some factors that change things. Take 3 patients with a UTI and one might need to be "blue lighted" into hospital, one might be referred to a GP, and the other might not need any treatment. You can't ever relax and be like "oh, I'm just going to someone with X symptom" because they will surprise you. My first patient who died was not one I expected to because the description was nothing like that, and I've been to people who sound like they're dying but just get left at home.
Original post by cody_luana
I’m in my final year of college and still struggling to pick, I really want to have the best university experience as possible and I would like to know which one has the best social aspects whilst I’m at university. I understand going into these courses does mean a slightly different university experience than most but I still want to know which is more sociable and I’m worried I’m gonna make a mistake for what I’ve applied for. I get excited about the rush of being a paramedic and the fact that I’m not stuck in one place on a ward but also I worry about the rates of death I will witness which obviously there is death when people are giving birth but I feel I may be more prepared for that when it’s in the same environment every day, I worry I may be bored as a midwife though, but I also find that job really appealing. If anyone can offer any insight at all to help me that would be so fab xo


I can't add much on what the previous commenter has said, but as a student studying paramedic science who has just finished a week in midwifery, hopefully I can give you a bit of an insight.

Midwifery is essentially nursing but specifically for patients before pregnancy, during pregnancy and after pregnancy. Because of how specialised they are, they tend to be a bit more independent than 'normal' nurses meaning they can give certain drugs without a doctor prescribing and can manage a 'normal' birth on their own in its entireity. You can work as a midwife in the community wherein you will do a lot of managing non-serious problems pregnant women had such as UTIs and you will manage uncomplicated births at home. However, you can also work in hospitals where you will do both uncomplicated births but also births that are 'high risk' which, as a midwife said, is anything not completely normal.

Every birth is different and has its own complications and things to manage but at the end of he day, there will only be the management of pregnant people and that will be for your whole career - this is something to consider.

I think BlueLightDriver summarised the perks of being a paramedic very well.
As a midwife myself... I think that if you already think midwifery is boring, it’s probably NOT the job for you!My job is incredibly diverse and every single woman that I look after has a different story to tell. I can spend 12 hours with a couple and get to know them better than some of their friends for that one day or night. Being a midwife isn’t a job, it’s a skill. It’s listening and communicating with women at their most vulnerable, their most frightening and their most exhilarating times. I have laughed with my women, I have cried with and for my women, I have epic highs and the lowest of lows. I make them feel safe and in return I have the privilege of sharing the most important days of their lives with them. I’m not sure why the focus is on uti’s..... I mean you just go to gp for that. Like I said, if you think my job is boring... you should definitely do something else.Hope that helps you decide.

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