Re: [ozmidwifery] working in a private hospital ?
Hi Wonderful wise midwives, An interesting discussion, thank you for your replieson and off the list! I'm trying to decide what to do after my graduate position ends this month. One option is tostay on as acasualwhere I work but realistically I need more income security thatcasual offers.Unfortunately there are no contractspositionsavailable because itis arural hospitalthat has limited opportunitiesat this stagefor non nurse midwives. This aside, Its crunch time andalthough I'm happy and comfortable where I amI may need tolook further field. Any suggestions at this stage would be welcome. I live in Adelaide. Shamless advertising of great places to work would be welcome :) From what I'm hearingNO midwife would want to work in a private hospital but clearly, many do. Who are these mythical creatures and what motivates them?Apparently not money or job satisfaction!I think that it is clear to me now that its not a direction I should pursue. Thank you all again for the sound and very enlightening advice, I'm sure there is more to this story :) Cheers, Julie From: Julie Garratt To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 5:31 PM Subject: [ozmidwifery] working in a private hospital ? Dearwise Midwives, I'm wanting to get an idea on what the disadvantages and benefits are to working in a private hospital . I must admit, as a direct entry midwife, I probably have a less than positive view of the private system having been told by lecturers that doing clinical placement there would be a waste of time. ( You become very "birth centric"' when you have to catch 40 babies to register). Ithink I'm asking for a balanced view here if one exists. Julie, longtime daily lurker :)
Re: [ozmidwifery] working in a private hospital ?
julie there are many great places to work in adelaide both private and public it depends where you live which may motivate you as where to apply. I thought that your grad position was 12 months as you have only been there about 6 now. why don't you get in touch with some of the girls that was in your original group at FUSA and talk to them where they work and they may help you to decide where you would like to apply to for more permanent. I know that some hospitals are taking people on a casual basis then offer full time to the individual.anyhow good luck with your carer choices. regards Sharon - Original Message - From: Julie Garratt To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au Sent: Sunday, May 14, 2006 12:47 AM Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] working in a private hospital ? Hi Wonderful wise midwives, An interesting discussion, thank you for your replieson and off the list! I'm trying to decide what to do after my graduate position ends this month. One option is tostay on as acasualwhere I work but realistically I need more income security thatcasual offers.Unfortunately there are no contractspositionsavailable because itis arural hospitalthat has limited opportunitiesat this stagefor non nurse midwives. This aside, Its crunch time andalthough I'm happy and comfortable where I amI may need tolook further field. Any suggestions at this stage would be welcome. I live in Adelaide. Shamless advertising of great places to work would be welcome :) From what I'm hearingNO midwife would want to work in a private hospital but clearly, many do. Who are these mythical creatures and what motivates them?Apparently not money or job satisfaction!I think that it is clear to me now that its not a direction I should pursue. Thank you all again for the sound and very enlightening advice, I'm sure there is more to this story :) Cheers, Julie From: Julie Garratt To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 5:31 PM Subject: [ozmidwifery] working in a private hospital ? Dearwise Midwives, I'm wanting to get an idea on what the disadvantages and benefits are to working in a private hospital . I must admit, as a direct entry midwife, I probably have a less than positive view of the private system having been told by lecturers that doing clinical placement there would be a waste of time. ( You become very "birth centric"' when you have to catch 40 babies to register). Ithink I'm asking for a balanced view here if one exists. Julie, longtime daily lurker :)
Re: [ozmidwifery] working in a private hospital ?
woops !!! sorry about that,that, thatgremlins in the system ! With kind regardsBrenda Manning www.themidwife.com.au - Original Message - From: brendamanning To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 7:59 PM Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] working in a private hospital ? Melissa, There are some great private hospitals about. Just as there are some good not so good public ones. If you are defining 'good' as providing wholistic continuous care for women throughout pregnancy ,birth postnatallythenthat's difficult within Private hosps because the women often attend OBs for all their care, but they do exist. You could contact Lina Clerke re the great one she worked at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] With kind regardsBrenda Manning www.themidwife.com.au - Original Message - From: Melissa Singer To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 6:17 PM Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] working in a private hospital ? Sorry Julie, having worked in a variety of private hospitals while doing agency work when I first moved to Perth I cannot give abalanced view. I work in a fairly midwifery orientated public hospital. Melissa - Original Message - From: Julie Garratt To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 3:31 PM Subject: [ozmidwifery] working in a private hospital ? Dearwise women, I'm wanting to get an idea on what the disadvantages and benefits are to working in a private hospital . I must admit, as a direct entry midwife, I probably have a less than positive view of the private system having been told by lecturers that doing clinical placement there would be a waste of time. ( You become very "birth centric"' when you have to catch 40 babies to register). Ithink I'm asking for a balanced view here if one exists. Julie, longtime daily lurker :)
Re: [ozmidwifery] working in a private hospital ?
Hi Julie I agree with all of the postings on this subject so far. There are a few private hospitals in Oz where you can utilise your midwifery skills fully, although the key word here is "few". Everyweek I receive a call from a midwife in a private hospital somewhere in the country whoisplanning changes in the ways theircare is provided, so lots of good work is being done out and about in many pockets that we don't hear about in the private sector where the midwives are working hard to put into placea higher midwifery profileand expand the role of the midwifeand to make known to the women who access private sector care just what it is that we midwives do.It amazes me how little awareness women and their partners have of the midwife's role. In antenatal information sessions, when weask couples what they believe isthe role of the ob and thenmove on tothat of the midwife, most are amazed and ask the 64 million dollar question..I'll leave you to work that out :-):-) :-) Some things to think about though. 1) From our experience, for many midwives who have come to work at our unit, the hardest thing is getting used to the doctor being there at the birth when things are straightforward - this hasundoubtedly been the most difficult thing for the midwives to get used to, despite the fact that most of the time (oo) the docsjust slip in and blend in with whatever is happening in the birthing room. i ~ 2)Remembering to call thedocin the first place is another :-), epecially when you have been used to autonomous practice. 3) Alsoyou will get alesser pay rate than if you worked in the public sector 4) Understanding the (wierd and deeply entrenched) structure of the private health system(which isbusiness and therefore revenue driven) is a challenge. When I first began to work there and the managers and bossestalked about 'customers', foolish me thought these were the women. Not the case. It was actually the doctors, because the docs have always been the revenue generators. I have never accepted that - I believe first and foremost that it is thewomen who are our (shudder...) 'customers' and they are the ones whomake the difference. I know that because they have beenthe drivers of many of the changes we have put into place. They ask a question about what we do or how we do it or discuss a service and we think "why or whynot?" 5) Often you have to flex your shifts - if it is quiet, you may be asked to cancel, take annual leave or work in another area of the hospital. Most private hospitalshave few full time staffand mostly part-time permanent, and a casual pool. 6) You may have to get used to doing no antenatal care (except where women are hospitalised),the 'private sector hybrid' of labour and birth care, lots of Caesareans, inductions of labour, epidurals and the consequences of those, lots of level two nursery care (as a consequence of a higher Caesarean rate - in many cases over 50% of births), and surgical recoveries for women entering motherhood. 7) BUT you do get to work with some wonderful women and men who are highly motivated, professionals, who tend to be older,many of whom have had IVF procedures and have all the stuff that goes with that, are well educated (but that does not mean they have the information to makeinformed choices), and are wonderful to accompany on their birthing journeys and into parenting. 8) AND you also get to work with some wonderful midwives who care about what they do and provide the very best midwifery care they can despite their daily struggle with the way the private system is currently set up. Changes are ahead though. I hope this has been of some use Julie Regards, Lynne - Original Message - From: Julie Garratt To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 5:31 PM Subject: [ozmidwifery] working in a private hospital ? Dearwise women, I'm wanting to get an idea on what the disadvantages and benefits are to working in a private hospital . I must admit, as a direct entry midwife, I probably have a less than positive view of the private system having been told by lecturers that doing clinical placement there would be a waste of time. ( You become very "birth centric"' when you have to catch 40 babies to register). Ithink I'm asking for a balanced view here if one exists. Julie, longtime daily lurker :)
Re: [ozmidwifery] working in a private hospital ?
Sorry Julie, having worked in a variety of private hospitals while doing agency work when I first moved to Perth I cannot give abalanced view. I work in a fairly midwifery orientated public hospital. Melissa - Original Message - From: Julie Garratt To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 3:31 PM Subject: [ozmidwifery] working in a private hospital ? Dearwise women, I'm wanting to get an idea on what the disadvantages and benefits are to working in a private hospital . I must admit, as a direct entry midwife, I probably have a less than positive view of the private system having been told by lecturers that doing clinical placement there would be a waste of time. ( You become very "birth centric"' when you have to catch 40 babies to register). Ithink I'm asking for a balanced view here if one exists. Julie, longtime daily lurker :)
Re: [ozmidwifery] working in a private hospital ?
julie i have also worked in a private hospital before it was closed down as a de midwife. i guess the disadvantage would be the fact that the drs do most of the births and as a midwife you dont have a lot of autonomy. i presently work in a large tertiary institution in which midwives do the normal birth and the drs do the births that are deemed difficult or need of extra help. it is your choice where u wish to practice and how you wish to practice there is good and bad for both the public and private system. - Original Message - From: Julie Garratt To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 5:01 PM Subject: [ozmidwifery] working in a private hospital ? Dearwise women, I'm wanting to get an idea on what the disadvantages and benefits are to working in a private hospital . I must admit, as a direct entry midwife, I probably have a less than positive view of the private system having been told by lecturers that doing clinical placement there would be a waste of time. ( You become very "birth centric"' when you have to catch 40 babies to register). Ithink I'm asking for a balanced view here if one exists. Julie, longtime daily lurker :)
Re: [ozmidwifery] working in a private hospital ?
Melissa, There are some great private hospitals about. Just as there are some good not so good public ones. If you are defining 'good' as providing wholistic continuous care for women throughout pregnancy ,birth postnatallythenthat's difficult within Private hosps because the women often attend OBs for all their care, but they do exist. You could contact Lina Clerke re the great one she worked at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] With kind regardsBrenda Manning www.themidwife.com.au - Original Message - From: Melissa Singer To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 6:17 PM Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] working in a private hospital ? Sorry Julie, having worked in a variety of private hospitals while doing agency work when I first moved to Perth I cannot give abalanced view. I work in a fairly midwifery orientated public hospital. Melissa - Original Message - From: Julie Garratt To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 3:31 PM Subject: [ozmidwifery] working in a private hospital ? Dearwise women, I'm wanting to get an idea on what the disadvantages and benefits are to working in a private hospital . I must admit, as a direct entry midwife, I probably have a less than positive view of the private system having been told by lecturers that doing clinical placement there would be a waste of time. ( You become very "birth centric"' when you have to catch 40 babies to register). Ithink I'm asking for a balanced view here if one exists. Julie, longtime daily lurker :)
RE: [ozmidwifery] working in a private hospital ?
Hi Julie, I will stay out of the discussion of the intervention rates, because I am sure there will be plenty of comments. However, take care regarding rates of pay and working conditions. Usually you are paid less and private employers are not bound by other conditions of the public sector EBA such as ratios ie number of patients you would be expected to care for. Regards,Nicole. -Original Message-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]On Behalf Of Julie GarrattSent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 5:31 PMTo: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.auSubject: [ozmidwifery] working in a private hospital ? Dearwise women, I'm wanting to get an idea on what the disadvantages and benefits are to working in a private hospital . I must admit, as a direct entry midwife, I probably have a less than positive view of the private system having been told by lecturers that doing clinical placement there would be a waste of time. ( You become very "birth centric"' when you have to catch 40 babies to register). Ithink I'm asking for a balanced view here if one exists. Julie, longtime daily lurker :)
Re: [ozmidwifery] working in a private hospital ?
Hi Julie,I worked in a private hospital in Hobart for a short time when working and travelling. The disadvantages were working within a medical model of care with high intervention rates and the birth being directed by the obstetrician. I only stayed a short time as I felt I would lose my midwifery skills if I stayed longer. The obstetricians even did their own VE's most of the time.The midwives at this hospital were lucky as they got to do the 'catch' with normal births, with the obstetrician present. I do have some good memories of 3 primips I looked after that birthed how they wanted to.. one squatted to birth her 9 pound baby (intact) and then had a physiological thirdstage, onestood to birth her OP baby and another laboured in the bath and birthed her baby (out of the bath) with no analgesia. To me these were a win in a system where most women labour on the bed with an epidural. But it is quite disempowering for the midwife that after the birth, the obstetrician takes over delivering the placenta, as if the midwife isn't capable. I would have to agree with others in that it isn't practising midwifery in the truest sense of the word. You don't get to do any antenatal care or get to meet the women before they are in labour. Having said that I know that there are many midwives working in this system ( for their own reasons) who are doing their best to work with the women and give them the best birth possible. Anyway this is just my experience. Possibly other places are different.. one I can think of is Selangor in Nambour. Cheers MichelleJulie Garratt [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dearwise women, I'm wanting to get an idea on what the disadvantages and benefits are to working in a private hospital . I must admit, as a direct entry midwife, I probably have a less than positive view of the private system having been told by lecturers that doing clinical placement there would be a waste of time. ( You become very "birth centric"' when you have to catch 40 babies to register). Ithink I'm asking for a balanced view here if one exists. Julie, longtime daily lurker :) Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Personals: It's free to check out our great singles!
