Year 13 Health & Social Care students from South Devon UTC were lucky enough to be invited to visit the maternity ward at Newton Abbot Hospital. We were met on arrival by one of the midwives, Jo, who took us into a labour room and talked through the role of the midwife and explained about the uses of some of the medical equipment.   The students were pleasantly surprised by how nice the labour room was, it did not feel clinical at all, very homely, and had the option of a water birth to help with pain relief.  As there was a second-year student midwife present, she talked us through what being a midwifery student entailed and what to expect if opting for this course at university, which was also really interesting and helpful.  As we walked back to college, the students were discussing their experience as they had all really enjoyed it, as Laila said “I think giving birth seems really scary, but if I had a midwife like Jo, I feel like I would be in really safe hands and she would be able to keep me calm”.  

We are very grateful to be able to have this opportunity for our students.