I decided to apply where I trained. I thought this would be the best idea, as I felt comfortable knowing everyone and that they would all support me. As I live close to the hospital, it didn’t occur to me to apply anywhere else, so I suppose getting a job locally put even more pressure on me.”
Preparing
University was useful in preparing us for interview, but I found my mentor really helpful. We recapped on what to do in an emergency, talked about important publications and getting a reference sorted.
The interview was really daunting, although I knew everyone on the panel, it was so important to get a job after all the hard work over the last 3 years and so I did feel under pressure.
Not just an interview
We were told that the interview would be made up of 3 parts; group work, an emergency situation and an individual interview.
The group work was deciding what we would do if we were given a budget of £100,000 to improve maternity services. There are always strong characters, those that are louder than others, but it is making sure that your opinion is heard. It was a chance to show passion but also work as a team and be able to listen.
We then went on to demonstrate an emergency situation, which in my case was a breech birth. The panel were really supportive, they would prompt if need be, but they wouldn’t make you feel uneasy. It is really important that you know all your emergencies really well (after all being taken by surprise, having to think quickly under pressure is a daily occurrence when you are a midwife and this is what they are looking for).
Questions
The hardest part was the interview, although all parts of the day are score based, it was more obvious during this part. The questions were not difficult but it is trying to put as much information into each answer. Questions about how you would make a referral to other agencies, safe guarding, what is a supervisor of midwives, duty of candor and where you would like to work were all included. I think the most important part is not to keep thinking about the day once you leave the room, there is nothing more that can be done other than to wait to hear if you will be offered a job’.
