A bold career switch to midwifery paid off

“I woke up after an operation in the recovery room surrounded by these wonderful nurses. That’s when I knew that I had been thinking about the decision to make a career change for long enough: this is what I want to do for a living, to offer someone else a wonderful and humane experience in healthcare. 

I am now about halfway through my 4.5-year studies to become a midwife. Of course, there are times when I am not interested in everything included in my studies or I wonder about the general situation in healthcare, but I have not regretted my career change for a moment. Now that I work here at HUS’s Gynecological Outpatient Clinic, everything feels so right. I get to work surrounded by wonderful people and with the very things that made me decide to enter this field! 

The leap from trainee to summer employee increased my responsibilities, but the induction to the tasks still continues 

I ended up working here through an internship. During the internship, I always worked with a colleague. When I started as a summer employee, I gradually began to take on independent responsibility. It is really important to gather this experience in order to gain more professional confidence. 

However, an independent approach to work does not mean working alone. My colleagues are always there to make sure if I need more orientation or if I would be willing to try something new. In addition, I work as a pair with a physician during patient appointments, and that in itself teaches me a lot. It has been nice to notice that during our work many physicians also tell me on their own initiative why or how a certain procedure is performed.   

The dream of people-oriented work encouraged me in my career change 

In my previous profession, I worked in an office job related to equipment and technical matters, and it wasn’t really my thing. I missed meeting people, helping people, and putting my empathy to use during my work days. This work experience has shown me that I am now in the right field! Gynecology is often intimate and therefore a bit stressful for many. What is rewarding in my work is that together with the physician I have been able to encounter patients in such a way that they can have a good experience of a stressful procedure. 

My image of midwifery has expanded: it can be anything related to the promotion of women’s health, not just working in the maternity ward. That’s why I would like to say to those considering summer jobs to feel free to try different types of job descriptions. Don’t be nervous about having to know everything, because you always get orientation and support.”