Applying to Study Midwifery Abroad: Writing Your Personal Statement
Looking to Study Midwifery in the UK?
Midwifery is a popular choice for international students, especially in the UK. Getting on to such a study abroad program will depend on your personal statement – crucial to any successful application.
Writing a Personal Statement for Midwifery
Your personal statement is the best way to show admissions tutors why you’d be a great candidate, so here’s a comprehensive guide to help you make yours compelling.
Start With a Strong Opening
With any personal statement, you should start with something that will grab the reader’s attention. For example, you could start with a personal anecdote about midwifery or explain why you’re passionate about becoming a midwife.
Show Your Passion
You’ll need to show your enthusiasm for midwifery – so make sure you talk about why you’re drawn to this profession and how your interest has developed.
Highlight Relevant Experience
If you have any experience in a healthcare setting, especially involving pregnancy and childbirth, your application will be so much stronger. This can include work placements, voluntary work or personal experiences such as supporting a relative or friend through pregnancy.
Talk About Experience With Health Professionals
If you’ve had the opportunity to observe or work with midwives or any other health professionals, make sure you outline what you’ve learned from these experiences.
Multidisciplinary Teamwork
If you’ve had any exposure to teams that include doctors, specialists, nurses, health visitors and other healthcare professionals, remember to include it in your personal statement and talk about how this has shown you the importance of teamwork in patient care.
Patient Interactions
Include details of what experience you’ve had of watching midwives interact with patients, providing care, education and emotional support, and reflect on how this has given you a deeper understanding of the patient-centered care and communication skills needed in midwifery.
Critical Thinking and Problem-solving
Discuss any situations you’ve seen where midwives have had to make quick decisions under pressure, and outline how this has shown how midwives need critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Show Your Knowledge of the NHS
If possible, demonstrate your understanding of the National Health Service (NHS) and its values. Show that you understand how the UK healthcare system operates, including the role of the NHS, healthcare policies, patient rights and the ethical considerations involved.
Highlight Your Skills
It’s important to demonstrate the skills you’ve gained from your experiences so far, and how they can help you succeed in midwifery, including teamwork, communication, problem-solving and resilience.
Be Reflective
In other words, show that you can learn from your experiences. Rather than just listing what you’ve done, reflect on what you’ve learned and how it has prepared you for a career in midwifery.
Explain Your Long-term Goals
Talk about your aspirations in midwifery – it shows you’re committed to a career in the profession and have a clear sense of direction.
Answer the ‘Why Now?’ Question
Talk about why you want to pursue this qualification at this particular point in your life – especially if you’re a mature student.
Proofread Your Statement
Your personal statement will be all the stronger if it’s well-written and mistake-free. Make sure you re-read and check it thoroughly – getting someone else to read it is a good idea too.
Your Next Step to Study Midwifery
Remember, your personal statement is your chance to show why you’d make a great midwife, but if you need to find out more about the NHS a good starting point is to explore the NHS website. You’ll find plenty of information on the internet about the NHS, but on its own website you’ll be able to familiarise yourself with the basic, and also its Constitution and Values.
How NCUK Can Help
Students who complete an NCUK qualification have access to a wide range of midwifery courses at NCUK University Partners. You can find out more about them using our Course Finder. If you need any support with your application for a Midwifery degree, simply contact our teams through the button below.