how to open a midwifery personal statement

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An Effective Guide to Writing Midwifery Personal Statements

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Midwifery personal statements are a vital part of the application process for those pursuing midwifery degrees. They allow the admission staff to get to know you as an individual and can be used to demonstrate your commitment to the profession. Like any other piece of writing, you must take care when crafting your statement if you want it to stand out from the crowd.

In this article, we have listed a few valuable tips for writing an effective midwifery personal statement, along with examples to use as inspiration.

What Is a Midwifery Personal Statement?

A midwifery personal statement is a written document that explains an individual’s motivations, qualifications , and experience for pursuing a career in midwifery. Prospective students often use it to apply for entrance into Midwifery education programs. The personal statement allows educators to understand the applicant as more than just grades and test scores. It provides insight into their qualities, aspirations, and dedication to a Midwife practice.

Why Is a Midwifery Personal Statement Important?

Midwifery personal statement is not just about explaining what you’ve accomplished in your field of work. It is about demonstrating the skills and attributes necessary for someone to be qualified to competently and responsibly help with the process of childbirth.

A well-written personal statement will demonstrate your understanding of the human body and your capacity for empathy.

Tips to Write Midwifery Personal Statements

The following tips will help you write good midwifery personal statements and better convey your qualities and qualifications.

• Start with an introduction that captures the reader’s attention and highlights why you are interested in becoming a midwife.
• Give specific examples of your experience working with pregnant women and newborns, whether through volunteering, work, or personal experiences.
• Explain what qualities make you a good fit for the role of midwife, such as being patient, compassionate, and proactive.
• Discuss any academic achievements related to pregnancy care or childbirth education that you have attained thus far in your studies/career.
• Reiterate why you want to pursue a career as a midwife and how this opportunity will allow you to reach your long-term goals.

What to Avoid When Writing a Midwifery Personal Statement?

Things to avoid when writing a midwifery personal statement:

• Don’t make excuses for your lack of experience.
• Avoid listing reasons why you want to be a midwife without providing concrete examples to support your claims.
• Don’t present yourself as someone perfect – no one is! Be honest and open about your flaws and weaknesses, but highlight how you have worked to overcome them.
• Avoid writing anything negative about previous employers or educators, even if they were less than stellar. Focus on the positive lessons you learned from them instead.

Personal Statement Midwifery Examples

Below are some midwifery personal statement examples to assist you in writing one on your own:

Like many other midwives, I was drawn to the profession after experiencing a positive birth myself. As soon as my son was born, I knew that I wanted to help other women have similarly empowering experiences. My journey into motherhood revealed just how important it is for pregnant women and their families to have access to quality care. They need someone who understands their needs and can support them throughout the process. Midwifery is all about providing individualized care — something that’s extremely important during childbirth.

I am passionate about helping mothers bring new life into this world in a safe and healthy way. And while training as a midwife will be challenging, I know it will also be incredibly rewarding. Through hands-on experience and theoretical learning, I hope to gain the knowledge and skills needed to deliver babies. I also want to ensure that every woman feels confident in her ability to give birth naturally if she chooses. To me, being a midwife isn’t just a job. It’s an opportunity to make a real difference in people’s lives by supporting them through one of the most special moments of their lives.

Born and raised in a small town near the Mexican border, I was always interested in helping others. My fascination with birth began when I was a young girl; watching my cousins give birth at home fascinated me. Witnessing the strength and power of a woman giving birth left a lasting impression on me that has stuck with me throughout my life. As time passed, I continued to explore my interest in childbirth by taking classes on natural childbirth and becoming certified as a doula.

During my undergraduate studies at The University of Arizona, I had the opportunity to have clinical experience working alongside midwives at our local hospital. I assisted women during their births and provided support post-birth both in the clinic setting and within people’s homes. This invaluable experience solidified my desire to become a midwife myself one day soon!

The most rewarding part of this journey has been witnessing firsthand how pregnancy and birthing can empower women. No matter what walk of life they come from or how difficult their journey may be. Every woman who chooses to bring new life into this world is heroic in her own unique way. And it is an honor to help them through this profound process. It could be accompanying them through labor physically or simply being there emotionally to support them every step along the way.

A personal statement provides insight into the applicant’s character and motivation to attend the midwifery program. A key aspect of completing your personal statement is to make it concise. This article provides effective tips and examples to help you write a strong midwifery personal statement. Although an impactful personal statement is not easy to write, it is worth the effort. Stay focused.

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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Midwifery Personal Statement Example

Sample statement.

For quite a long time I have known that my future career lies within the nursing profession but was unsure of my exact direction. In the last couple of years I have spoken to several different nurses and have attended hospital open days and two work placements and I am now convinced that midwifery is for me.

I have been very impressed with the midwives that I have met and feel that the opportunity to look after women throughout their pregnancy, labour, birth and beyond into the postnatal period would be very rewarding. Being involved with women and their families at such an exciting and yet still quite stressful time of life will enable me to use my communication skills and my abilities to care for people in a calm and non-judgemental way.

Being a good midwife is about having the medical skills and knowledge to guide a woman through a healthy pregnancy and to be alert to the earliest signs that something may be wrong. Caring for diabetic women in pregnancy is a particular interest, as my older sister was diabetic and experienced various complications during her pregnancy last year. Having a calm and dependable midwife was essential to her well being throughout the pregnancy.

It is very important for midwives to be aware of the latest medical knowledge and to inform and explain things to women as clearly and sympathetically as possible so that they can be empowered to make their own informed decisions. Although it would be emotionally challenging, I would like to gain experience working with women who have given birth prematurely or who have had a baby who is born with serious health problems. I believe I have the maturity to provide the support as well as the medical care necessary.

My two work placements so far have been in the maternity unit of my local hospital and out with a community midwife. These were two very different experiences but I thoroughly enjoyed them both. During my placement in the hospital I was able to help monitor a fetal heart beat and to chat to mothers whose babies were just a day old. My days out with the community midwife showed me just how variable this work is and I was excited by the chance to see families and babies in their own homes. The midwife that I shadowed was welcomed and treated as part of the family group, which showed me just how important midwives are in the wider community.

By doing a midwifery degree I hope to become as well qualified as possible on the medical side but I realise that being a good midwife is also about gaining experience of different situations. I would welcome the opportunity to work abroad at some stage of my early career, in a developing world situation. I was lucky enough to visit Kenya last summer with a project to raise awareness of childhood vaccination and to assist the vaccination teams. I met lots of mothers and children and saw how different their situation is compared to a typical family in the UK.

I am working hard to get the grades I need for university but outside work I enjoy playing badminton and painting with watercolours. Some of my time is also devoted to my new niece who is now 6 months old and who has become a very special person on my life. Seeing her grow and develop has confirmed my wish to work with mothers and babies and I am excited to start my journey into midwifery.

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Bournemouth University

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Top tips on how to write a personal statement for midwifery.

To celebrate International Midwives Day on 5 May, current student Jess, shares some tips on how to write a personal statement if your applying for BSc (Hons) Midwifery.

Writing about yourself in general is hard enough but when you only have 4,000 characters to make a great first impression, mention all your transferable skills, talk about your experience, why you want to be a midwife and somehow make it exciting to read is one tall order!

Writing my personal statement I knew already how competitive it is when applying for a place on a midwifery programme. Limiting my chances by only applying to 2 university’s made the process even scarier! I started drafting my personal statement as early as I could, having been through the process before I had a personal statement to work from BUT i am so glad I scrapped the whole thing and started over. The best thing I did was get hold of a book for writing personal statements for midwifery. I made every mistake going when writing my personal statement at 17 and that truly was from a lack of research and understanding of the role of a midwife and not for lack of passion.

Here’s my top tips for writing a personal statement!

1) Start as early as you can! Even if you just start with a bullet pointed list of everything you want to put into your statement… it’s a start.

2) Draft, Draft and Re-Draft! Make the most of support from tutors or other professionals who offer to read your statement. It’s so important to make sure your sentence structure, spelling and grammar are up to scratch.

3) Read it out loud. It helps so much to read it through and you will pick up on so many more typing issues and mistakes by reading it out loud.

4) When you do start writing make sure you type it in a word document or keep a hard copy rather than typing straight into UCAS as this makes it easier for spell check and checking the word limit.

5) If your a few characters over make sure you check the end of your sentences and paragraphs as I didn’t realise that I always put extra spaces on the end which does take up characters and line space!

Now for midwifery specific tips!

1) Don’t talk about babies! The role of a midwife is about supporting women, and that should be the focus of your statement.

2) Research the skills and qualities of a midwife and try to talk about how you have those skills. Try to follow the format of what is the skill? show evidence of you having it ( talk about experience) and then why that skill is important in midwifery practice.

3) BUZZ WORDS! the 6 C’s of care are a great place to start and if you don’t know what they are go and read up about them! Also consider the importance of non-judgemental care especially in the context of the diversity of women and families that you may encounter through midwifery care.

4) The NMC’s code of conduct is a great resource and I would definitely make sure you’ve read it at some point before interviews.

5) Find something about midwifery that gets you excited and talk about it, get that passion across. Look up current ‘hot topics’ if your ensure.

6) Bring that reader in with that very first sentence! I would make use of your buzz words or show something about your understanding of the role of a midwife in that very first sentence!

7) Don’t worry if you can’t summarise why you want to be a midwife! Its not about the why its about how you’ve got to this point now, what have you done to prove that this is the career for you!

8) Remember your applying for a degree and not a job as a midwife just yet, so try and make some acknowledgement to being able to cope with the academic side of the course and your ability to manage your time especially as the midwifery course is 50% study and 50% placement.

9) Make sure you finish that personal statement with a really powerful ending. That will be the very last thing they read and if they haven’t made their mind up by that point that could be what sways it!

10) Make sure that it truly represents you and DON’T LIE! your personal statement will be the only thing they have about you when it comes to interview so they will talk about it with you if you can’t expand on what you’ve said or you seem to not know much about that 6 year placement you did in Antarctica setting up a midwifery unit for Eskimo’s they will realise it was probably a lie!

Just be yourself and if you haven’t got experience or struggle to get it that’s fine! So many transferable skills can come from other jobs. Retail work is about working with people, communicating with customers. Having patience when dealing with frustrated customers. Its all transferable skills so talk about it!

I hope these tips help anyone writing their statement and good luck on your journey to becoming student midwives!

Jess Correia, Midwifery student.

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BSc (Hons) Midwifery

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Midwifery Personal Statement

Perfect your Midwifery personal statement following this example from a UCL applicant. Use it as a guide to writing your personal statement for the Midwifery course . See below the personal statement example for Midwifery .

Midwifery Personal Statement Example

As a future midwife, I am passionate about providing compassionate care to mothers and their families during one of the most pivotal moments in their lives. I am excited about the opportunity to study midwifery at UCL University and contribute to the field through research and clinical practice.

I have always been drawn to the medical field, and I have been working as a labour and delivery assistant for the past three years. This experience has solidified my desire to become a midwife and has taught me the importance of communication, empathy, and clinical competence.

I have a strong background in science, having completed my undergraduate degree in biology with a focus on women’s health. I am also currently pursuing my Master of Science in midwifery, which has provided me with a strong foundation in the theory and practice of midwifery care.

I am confident that studying at UCL University will provide me with the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to become a successful midwife. I am eager to join the vibrant midwifery community at UCL and contribute to the field through my research and clinical practice. I am committed to providing high-quality care to mothers and their families, and I am dedicated to lifelong learning and professional development. Thank you for considering my application.

In addition to my academic and professional experience, I am also a member of the Midwives Association of North America, where I have had the opportunity to attend conferences, network with other midwives, and stay up-to-date on the latest research and best practices in the field. I am also a volunteer at a local pregnancy resource centre, where I assist pregnant women and new mothers with information and support.

I am excited about the prospect of studying at UCL University and becoming part of the rich history and tradition of midwifery at the institution. I am committed to working hard and achieving my goals, and I believe that studying at UCL will provide me with the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to become a successful midwife. Thank you for considering my application.

Over the course of my school career, I have always been recognized for my hard work and dedication. Both independently and in a group, I am able to perform at a high level. Having the ability to work independently and as part of a team is important for midwives. As a result, he has been given important leadership roles, such as house captain and prefect. Moreover, public speaking has helped me to improve my communication skills so that I can clearly convey my ideas and thoughts to people of all ages and backgrounds.

Midwifery Personal Statement Tips

When writing your midwifery personal statement , include the following:

• What inspired you to choose Midwifery
• Why do you wish to work as Midwifery
• What you know about midwifery
• Qualities and abilities that will make you a great midwife
• Working with babies is a plus, add experience if have it
• Demonstrate your knowledge of midwifery
• The degree, modules, and dissertation topic you chose were relevant.
• Skills, hobbies, and achievements relevant to the midwifery course

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Midwifery Personal Statement | Advice & Template

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Found your dream midwifery role, but stuck on what to write in your personal statement? Here is our expert advice on what to include and how to present your skills and experience to create an excellent first impression and get invited to interview.

Personal statements give you the chance to showcase what you’re all about and where your talents lie. We recommend using this personal profile to promote your strengths, achievements and key skills. Use this 100-150 words to provide examples of how you match the job specifications, and show your desire for this midwifery vacancy.

What should you include in your midwifery personal statement?

Education and training

Provide a brief overview of your previous education and midwifery training (School/University/Higher Education Courses)

Why you are applying for the role?

Demonstrate your knowledge of the position to show awareness of what the role demands. What can you bring to this role? You need to show real passion and enthusiasm for why you want the job.

Activity: Where have you gained midwifery experience?

Provide details of your previous midwifery experience including the name of the hospital and the duration of your experience.

Skills: What have you done?

Examples could include:

• Teaching women how to have a healthy pregnancy journey, including promoting the right diet, the correct medications to take and what exercise they should undertake.
• Communicating effectively with other midwives and medical team and providing regular updates on the status of patients.
• Identifying and explaining risks clearly.
• Using my initiative, acting quickly and identifying whether the patients need a caesarean section.
• Providing support to patients and their relatives, before, during and after the birth to aid the patient’s recovery.
• Maintaining a calm and positive disposition with excellent communication skills.
• Emotional and mental strength.

Evidence: Give examples of your work experience

From conducting one-to-one meetings I have learnt how to communicate confidently with patients and educate pregnant patients on diet, which medications to take and what vitamins they need most and exercises to do to deliver a healthy newborn. I have delivered a number of babies safely and provided aftercare for the mother. I am also experienced in communicating with the medical team and other midwives as well as providing support during caesarean sections.

Midwifery Personal Statement Template

Kind, professional and highly trained midwife with excellent communication skills. I am committed to providing the best quality care and support for mothers and families throughout their pregnancies. 10 years' experience and a first class honours midwifery degree from University of Manchester. I work well under pressure and thrive in a team environment. My positive and friendly disposition means that I get on with all different types of people and put patients at ease which I think is key for this role. I am very knowledgeable about all aspects of pregnancy and am confident communicating this knowledge to patients. My previous experience working at the maternity ward at Barnet Hospital has taught me the importance of acting quickly and calmly. With my skills and experience, I am confident that I would be an asset to your team.

If you are seeking further useful information, then read our expert guide on how to write a personal statement .

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• Midwifery personal statements

Midwifery Personal Statement

My enthusiasm to venture into a challenging yet rewarding career began from an early exposure to midwifery. Observing my mother closely, eight years ago, through her antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal period gave me an insight into what this field entails and enabled me to truly embrace the vital responsibilities of a midwife. To be a midwife; to be able to support women and their families through the most vulnerable point in their lives, to be a part of a mother-to-be’s journey with the most rewarding outcome of a newborn infant and educating women on sexual health is, in my opinion, one of the most heartwarming experiences a job can offer. I firmly have faith in my abilities to pursue this career. 

A matter that is of vital importance to me is the rate of deaths of women from a Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic background during labour, and is something I wish to tackle when I become qualified. Recent reports (from MBRRACE-UK 11, ‘Saving Lives, Improving Mothers’ Care’) mortality rates between women from Black and Asian aggregated ethnic groups and White women. Because of this, I believe that it should be a priority to eradicate the inequalities faced by ethnic minorities faced in health and social care settings. I recognised the difficulties of this career path, however I am motivated to support the NHS through the recent challenges they are facing and I hope to contribute to the change. 

From December 2018 to January 2019 I had the privilege of visiting my home country, Uganda where I was lucky to have the opportunity to visit the less developed areas of Jinja and Kamapla, in particular the maternity clinics. I was inspired by the level of care being provided despite the very limited resources (such as access to epidural) allowing me to appreciate how privileged many people are in developed countries in regard to healthcare services. I was also able to gain awareness of new cultures and perspectives which makes me want to contribute to the change in developing countries once I qualify as a midwife. 

Furthermore, volunteering with the Imperial College Hospital Hammersmith has enabled me to learn, advance and broaden my skills in person-centred care. I have been able to meet many patients from a variety of different backgrounds and now I have the chance to befriend individuals during a lonely and isolated period and to support and social interactions during a period of uncertainty. I am most proud of how well I have been taught to execute the 6 C's when caring for patients.  

Through my ongoing volunteering with Age UK Camden to provide one-to-one attention to elderly clients who may suffer from a range of mental health complications, dementia or are feeling isolated has enabled me to gain knowledge and insight into issues that impact on older people’s lives. My own job at Waitrose has additionally aided my personal development as it has given me space to expand my communication skills, listening abilities and have allowed me to learn to speak with clarity in my voice, knowing how to change and adapt my tone to suit different individuals to make them feel comfortable. I also have learnt one-to-one conversational support which is a key

skill in the midwifery field as difficult times are likely to occur and a calm and reassuring manner will be vital.  

In my free time, I am an enthusiastic reader as I have an incredibly vivid imagination which contributes to my passion. Most importantly, I am a feminist and have a strong determination to advocate for all women to have equal rights and opportunities to fight against oppression. I stay up to date with the news about women across the world who are struggling and hidden behind the patriarchal society (in particular countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan). 

I am highly motivated by the prospects of developing knowledge, in person experience and skills through my higher education courses. I am excited the best I can be, in order to advocate for both the mother and baby.  

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PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLES Midwifery personal statements

Discover personal statement examples written by students accepted onto midwifery and related courses. Read through the examples to help shape your own personal statement.

Midwifery Personal Statements

Submitted by Amelia

Pre-Registration Midwifery Personal Statement

Something that has always enthralled me about becoming a midwife is t...

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Midwifery Personal Statement

Sample Midwifery Personal Statement

Now that my children are settled into school there is time for me to pursue a career in midwifery that has been of great interest to me for many years. I have experienced a growing passion for working with babies since my own were born and I am in no doubt midwifery will allow me to develop my pre existing skills. The amount of support and care I received from midwives was hugely impressive; these professionals will always be remembered – midwives have a true influence on a mother’s experience, and an emulation of this positive attention, guidance and care is a goal I would be privileged to work towards.

Over the course of my college studies I have become competent with many skills. From my experience of retaking an A Level I have learnt that perseverance is essential – one must always persist and strive towards goals set for oneself. Undertaking an NVQ in administration allowed me to broaden my systematic and methodical temperament and has helped me whilst working at home for my A Level alongside raising three children. These studies demonstrate my aptitude at self-motivation, organisation and coordination of workload that have prepared me well for moving onto a course in further education and all the practical aspects that entail from this. Concurrently, taking an access course to midwifery at Chester College has edified my ambition and has allowed me to see, from the other side of the patient/professional relationship, that this occupation is well suited to my sensibilities, personal skills and abilities.

My wide variety of work experience has increased my confidence and personal ability in regards to undertaking a degree course in midwifery.

My promotion to head supervisor whilst working as a waitress displays my leadership capability and advanced communication skills; these will prove invaluable when working in stressful situations where quick thinking and decision making is essential. Having worked in an art gallery, often in charge of finances, my numerical skills were honed and I learnt that my eye for detail is second to none. This is another essential ability leading up to and after a child is born, allowing both baby and mother to receive the best and most accurate care possible.

After having my children, nursery and child minding work took up much of my time. Child minding was preferable as spending time with families and parents was extremely rewarding and enjoyable. Having up to sixteen children on my books showed me I thrived in a busy and demanding environment, and my business was run smoothly and with confidence whilst utilising my interpersonal skills and professional knowledge gained throughout my work with young children. I filled much of my spare time with the role of events organiser with the PTA at my sons’ school; I took pleasure working within a team of many women and feel that this experience will benefit me hugely when practicing midwifery and eventually becoming a professional. Whilst taking part in the Hive Project within the Navy, welcoming new families, I strove to behave amiably and with warmth – two utterly indispensable characteristics of midwifery that I took joy in performing.

During the course I hope to be able to share my maternal experiences with other students of midwifery and to engross myself in the many extra curricular possibilities. I would particularly like to undertake as much relevant work experience in addition to what I have already accomplished, to supplement my learning and make as much of a positive impact as possible. I have many hobbies, but balancing these with my young children is sometimes difficult. I find caring for my children and doing fun and new activities with them as they grow allows me to burn off steam and to relax after a days work.

I have taken time to decide on my correct career path and I feel I am mentally and emotionally prepared for the journey into midwifery. I am particularly anticipating the modules Management and Professional Issues in Midwifery and Neonatal Nutrition; the former module excites me as I have ambitions of eventually becoming a head midwife, and the latter due to the interest I took in regards to nutrition with my own children. I am however very enthusiastic to become involved in every aspect of the course and learning, and from looking back at my achievements I see that my experience, character and qualities are thoroughly suited to midwifery.

During university tuition I hope to gain a different experience of childcare and to engross myself in a more engaging mode of learning; I am really raring to start my midwife training. My cheerful nature, personal skills, knowledge of children and dedication to this vocation all demonstrate my keenness of interest in this degree course, and in ultimately becoming a midwife.

We hope this sample Midwifery Personal Statement has been helpful in writing your own.

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Midwifery personal statement example 3.

Midwifery became my passion at the age of 10, when my step-mother became pregnant. This sparked off my fascination with all aspects of pregnancy, insisting that I attended every antenatal appointment that I could. From this I discovered what a vital role midwives play in caring for mother and baby in the months leading up to the birth, the labour and the postnatal period.

After having this interest for quite some time, I feel my aim now is to prosper in this subject by attending a university course; this will enable me to gain a greater understanding of the medical and practical side of midwifery.

As two of my core qualities is to care and nurture, I feel I possess two of the vital attributes to pursue a career within the Health and My aspiration for a career in midwifery is reflected in my A-level choices, where good time keeping, self-motivated study skills and ability to cope under pressure and stress are essential.

From studying Biology I have gained further knowledge of human biology, learning more about how our major body organs function and genes and genetic engineering. I found this particularly interesting as it is linked to reproduction.

Since studying Psychology, I have gained a better understanding of people and how their minds perform. I can apply this knowledge to the way I interact and understand people in certain situations as my interpersonal skills have been expanded.

Both of these subjects tested my ability to recall large volumes of knowledge, which has given me practice for similar situations that I will face whilst studying for a degree.

Studying modules in Health and Social Care such as communication and values, and positive care environments has given me a greater awareness of how to communication verbally and physically to people, and how this is interpreted by them. Investigating disease has made me conscious of how easily diseases are spread, their effects and ways of preventing them.

This is particularly important when working in a hospital environment, and being around pregnant women and young babies, as they are highly susceptible to infections. I am currently working on an Extended Project Qualification, my title is 'What are the risks associated with teenage pregnancy and what are the roles of their midwives?'

Whilst carrying out this project I have learnt more about the challenges midwives face, and how they overcome them. It has also given me an insight into a specialist area of midwifery, caring for young people.

Outside my academic studies, I volunteer at my local hospital. My role is to hand out beverages to the patients, and talk to them. This is important as it boosts their morale. I regularly volunteer on the maternity and gynaecology ward, and have experience on many other wards.

This has given me an insight into the roles of different health professionals, and witness part of the process of midwifery. From this I have become more confident and comfortable in a hospital setting, and have a greater awareness of current NHS practices.

This experience has also expanded my interpersonal and communication skills, I feel it also represents the committed and caring attitude of my personality. I have a part-time job in a clothes shop.

From working in a retail environment and coming into contact with members of the public I have learnt how to work under pressure. It has also improved my organisational and time keeping skills and demonstrated the hardworking side of my character.

I am excited by the prospect of having a high level of responsibility and independence that corresponds with university life.

I am aware of the demands and challenges that I will face during my studies and within in a medical career, but my commitment and desire to become a midwife has been strengthened by my life and work experiences and the job satisfaction that I will gain from it.

Profile info

This personal statement was written by Mehh for application in 2009.

Related Personal Statements

Tue, 23/02/2010 - 12:10

Brilliant Personal Statement I do hope you were accepted into the course.

Fri, 15/10/2010 - 12:15

Hi I think you did a great job with this p/s but I think you need to work on your openning statement I think they have heard that one loads of times. think outside the box. GOOD luck

i need help

Wed, 31/08/2011 - 23:05

i am 15 and i need to know how i can get to be a midwife? ps: do u think becouse i am portugues that i can never be a midwife pls help me

Wed, 31/08/2011 - 23:07

pls email me back to: [email protected] pls i realy need your help

Mon, 05/09/2011 - 22:23

i was think and i think i better u tex to this mail [email protected] pls tell your history

Can i ask if you recieved the

Mon, 10/10/2011 - 14:40

Can i ask if you recieved the entry requirements for your course? Did you get any offers? xx

were u accepted? :)

Mon, 17/09/2012 - 18:05

WOW !!! what an excellent p.s

Thu, 11/07/2013 - 23:43

WOW !!! what an excellent p.s this is how it should be done...i do hope you got plenty of acceptence offers for your hard work....it has inspired me to start writting my own ...thanks tracey day x

Mon, 25/11/2013 - 14:01

My personal statement was

Sat, 08/02/2014 - 19:50

My personal statement was very similar to this (just seen it) yet I have had three rejections so far! Just don't know what they want?! Be interested to know if this got any interviews.

Add new comment

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The best statements tend to be genuine and specific from the very start. You'll be on the right track if you show your enthusiasm for the subject or course, your understanding of it, and what you want to achieve.

Admissions tutors – the people who read and score your personal statement – say don’t get stressed about trying to think of a ‘killer opening’. Discover the advice below and take your time to think about how best to introduce yourself.

Liz Bryan: HE Coordinator and Careers Advisor, Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College

Preparing to write your personal statement.

Start by making some notes . The personal statement allows admissions tutors to form a picture of who you are. So, for the opener, think about writing down things, such as:

• why you’re a good candidate
• your motivations
• what brings you to this course

If you’re applying for multiple courses , think about how your skills, academic interests, and the way you think are relevant to all the courses you've chosen.

Top tips on how to write your statement opener

We spoke to admissions tutors at unis and colleges – read on for their tips.

1. Don't begin with the overkill opening

Try not to overthink the opening sentence. You need to engage the reader with your relevant thoughts and ideas, but not go overboard .

Tutors said: ‘The opening is your chance to introduce yourself, to explain your motivation for studying the course and to demonstrate your understanding of it. The best personal statements get to the point quickly. Go straight in. What excites you about the course and why do you want to learn about it more?’

Be succinct and draw the reader in, but not with a gimmick. This isn't the X Factor. Admissions tutor

2. Write about why you want to study that course

Think about why you want to study the course and how you can demonstrate this in your written statement :

’Your interest in the course is the biggest thing. Start with a short sentence that captures the reason why you’re interested in studying the area you’re applying for and that communicates your enthusiasm for it. Don't waffle or say you want to study something just because it's interesting. Explain what you find interesting about it.’

It's much better to engage us with something interesting, relevant, specific and current in your opening line… Start with what's inspiring you now, not what inspired you when you were six. Admissions tutor

3. Avoid cliches

Try to avoid cliches and the most obvious opening sentences so you stand out from the very first line . UCAS publishes a list of common opening lines each year. Here are just some overused phrases to avoid using in your personal statement:

• From a young age…      
• For as long as I can remember…
• I am applying for this course because…
• I have always been interested in…
• Throughout my life I have always enjoyed…

And try not to use quotes . Quotations are top of the list of admissions tutors' pet hates.

4. Maybe don't begin at the start?

’Concentrate on the main content of your statement and write the introduction last. I think the opening line is the hardest one to write, so I often say leave it until the end and just try and get something down on paper.’

It may be easier to get on with writing the main content of your statement and coming back to the introduction afterwards –that way you will also know what you’re introducing.

I often advise applicants to start with paragraph two, where you get into why you want to study the course. That's what we're really interested in. Admissions tutor

The personal statement tool image

Don’t be tempted to copy or share your statement.

UCAS scans all personal statements through a similarity detection system to compare them with previous statements.

Any similarity greater than 30% will be flagged and we'll inform the universities and colleges to which you have applied. 

Find out more

Joseph bolton: year 2 history& politics student, university of liverpool.

• Do talk about you and your enthusiasm for the subject from the very start.
• Do be specific. Explain what you want to study and why in the first two sentences.
• Do come back to the opening sentences if you can’t think what to write straightaway.
• Don’t waste time trying to think of a catchy opening.
• Don't waffle – simply explain what you find interesting about the subject and show that you know what you are applying for.
• Don't rely on someone else's words. It's your statement after all – they want to know what you think.

One final thought

Think about making a link between your opening sentence and closing paragraph – a technique sometimes called the 'necklace approach’.

You can reinforce what you said at the start or add an extra dimension. For example, if you started with an interesting line about what’s currently motivating you to study your chosen degree course, you could link back to it at the end, perhaps with something about why you’d love to study this further at uni.

Need more advice?

• Struggling with the conclusion to your personal statement? Read our guide on how to finish your statement the right way .
• Read more dos and don’ts when writing your personal statement . 
• Discover what to include in your personal statement .
• Start your opening sentences with our personal statement builder now.

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Tim Walz’s Finances Don’t Look Anything Like a Typical Politician’s

He’s still far below where a 60-year-old should be if they want to retire..

When presidential candidate Kamala Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice president, the internet went wild with clips of him at the state fair with his daughter, throwing out the first pitch at a Minnesota Twins game, and fixing his car .

His policies, personal life, and, of course, his finances also got put under a microscope.

And one of the most surprising things that people discovered? Neither Walz nor his wife, Gwen, own any investments. No stocks, ETFs, or mutual funds. No cryptocurrency, REITs, or even any personal real estate. He sold his house to move into the governor’s mansion—so he technically doesn’t even own a home, just like one-third of Americans. And with home prices and mortgage interest rates remaining high, that American dream may stay unattainable .

And while Walz’s down-home, aw-shucks demeanor has captivated America, it’s also a sharp reminder of how different his finances are from those of the average politician.

With a net worth between $112,003 and $330,000 , Walz sits far below his peers. Research shows that the average net worth for congresspeople and senators is around $1 million.

If we’re estimating that Walz’s net worth is on the high end of that—$330,000—he’s still far below where a typical 60-year-old should be if they want to retire.

And while Walz does not have a 401(k), IRA, or taxable brokerage account, he does have a pension, which seems to be his sole source of retirement funds.

Nowadays, the pension is a relic. Only about 15 percent of private-sector workers have access to a pension, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics .

Teachers—like Walz—and other government workers are the most common types of employees to receive pension benefits. Members of the military—also like Walz, a former member of the National Guard —may also qualify for lifetime pensions.

But a pension isn’t a salve for all your financial problems. Even a government pension may not be enough to cover all your expenses in retirement. You typically have to work in a job for a certain number of years to qualify for a pension. This can result in two scenarios: You work a job you hate to qualify for a pension or you leave early and have to start your retirement savings from scratch.

Even if you do qualify for a pension, the amount you receive may not keep up with inflation. Plus, some states don’t enroll teachers in Social Security because they are covered by a government pension, so they won’t receive those benefits when they get older.

A basic rule of thumb is that you should save between 10 and 15 percent of your income for retirement. If your pension doesn’t meet those standards, then you should beef up your savings with an IRA.

Talking to a financial planner can help you understand your pension better. You can find a qualified financial planner through the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors , which keeps a list of financial planners who have a fiduciary duty to their clients. You can even look for some who specializes in working with people with pensions.

Walz is definitely an outlier when it comes to politicians, many of whom come from wealthy family backgrounds or made a killing before entering politics. That makes him a perfect analog to the average American.

He’s also aware that members of Congress often have special access to insider information that they can use to make profitable stock trades. When he was a member of the House of Representatives, he was a huge proponent of the STOCK Act , which was signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2012 and tries to make congressional investment trades more public to improve transparency.

Worries about Congressional insider trading have also sparked the introduction of more potential legislation, like the ETHICS Act , which would ban congresspeople from owning individual stocks and other types of investments.

So even if Walz doesn’t get into stock trading like many of his fellow politicians, at least he has a chance to keep saving for retirement. The current salary for the vice president is $235,100 .

How to cite ChatGPT

Use discount code STYLEBLOG15 for 15% off APA Style print products with free shipping in the United States.

We, the APA Style team, are not robots. We can all pass a CAPTCHA test , and we know our roles in a Turing test . And, like so many nonrobot human beings this year, we’ve spent a fair amount of time reading, learning, and thinking about issues related to large language models, artificial intelligence (AI), AI-generated text, and specifically ChatGPT . We’ve also been gathering opinions and feedback about the use and citation of ChatGPT. Thank you to everyone who has contributed and shared ideas, opinions, research, and feedback.

In this post, I discuss situations where students and researchers use ChatGPT to create text and to facilitate their research, not to write the full text of their paper or manuscript. We know instructors have differing opinions about how or even whether students should use ChatGPT, and we’ll be continuing to collect feedback about instructor and student questions. As always, defer to instructor guidelines when writing student papers. For more about guidelines and policies about student and author use of ChatGPT, see the last section of this post.

Quoting or reproducing the text created by ChatGPT in your paper

If you’ve used ChatGPT or other AI tools in your research, describe how you used the tool in your Method section or in a comparable section of your paper. For literature reviews or other types of essays or response or reaction papers, you might describe how you used the tool in your introduction. In your text, provide the prompt you used and then any portion of the relevant text that was generated in response.

Unfortunately, the results of a ChatGPT “chat” are not retrievable by other readers, and although nonretrievable data or quotations in APA Style papers are usually cited as personal communications , with ChatGPT-generated text there is no person communicating. Quoting ChatGPT’s text from a chat session is therefore more like sharing an algorithm’s output; thus, credit the author of the algorithm with a reference list entry and the corresponding in-text citation.

When prompted with “Is the left brain right brain divide real or a metaphor?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that although the two brain hemispheres are somewhat specialized, “the notation that people can be characterized as ‘left-brained’ or ‘right-brained’ is considered to be an oversimplification and a popular myth” (OpenAI, 2023).

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

You may also put the full text of long responses from ChatGPT in an appendix of your paper or in online supplemental materials, so readers have access to the exact text that was generated. It is particularly important to document the exact text created because ChatGPT will generate a unique response in each chat session, even if given the same prompt. If you create appendices or supplemental materials, remember that each should be called out at least once in the body of your APA Style paper.

When given a follow-up prompt of “What is a more accurate representation?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that “different brain regions work together to support various cognitive processes” and “the functional specialization of different regions can change in response to experience and environmental factors” (OpenAI, 2023; see Appendix A for the full transcript).

Creating a reference to ChatGPT or other AI models and software

The in-text citations and references above are adapted from the reference template for software in Section 10.10 of the Publication Manual (American Psychological Association, 2020, Chapter 10). Although here we focus on ChatGPT, because these guidelines are based on the software template, they can be adapted to note the use of other large language models (e.g., Bard), algorithms, and similar software.

The reference and in-text citations for ChatGPT are formatted as follows:

• Parenthetical citation: (OpenAI, 2023)
• Narrative citation: OpenAI (2023)

Let’s break that reference down and look at the four elements (author, date, title, and source):

Author: The author of the model is OpenAI.

Date: The date is the year of the version you used. Following the template in Section 10.10, you need to include only the year, not the exact date. The version number provides the specific date information a reader might need.

Title: The name of the model is “ChatGPT,” so that serves as the title and is italicized in your reference, as shown in the template. Although OpenAI labels unique iterations (i.e., ChatGPT-3, ChatGPT-4), they are using “ChatGPT” as the general name of the model, with updates identified with version numbers.

The version number is included after the title in parentheses. The format for the version number in ChatGPT references includes the date because that is how OpenAI is labeling the versions. Different large language models or software might use different version numbering; use the version number in the format the author or publisher provides, which may be a numbering system (e.g., Version 2.0) or other methods.

Bracketed text is used in references for additional descriptions when they are needed to help a reader understand what’s being cited. References for a number of common sources, such as journal articles and books, do not include bracketed descriptions, but things outside of the typical peer-reviewed system often do. In the case of a reference for ChatGPT, provide the descriptor “Large language model” in square brackets. OpenAI describes ChatGPT-4 as a “large multimodal model,” so that description may be provided instead if you are using ChatGPT-4. Later versions and software or models from other companies may need different descriptions, based on how the publishers describe the model. The goal of the bracketed text is to briefly describe the kind of model to your reader.

Source: When the publisher name and the author name are the same, do not repeat the publisher name in the source element of the reference, and move directly to the URL. This is the case for ChatGPT. The URL for ChatGPT is https://chat.openai.com/chat . For other models or products for which you may create a reference, use the URL that links as directly as possible to the source (i.e., the page where you can access the model, not the publisher’s homepage).

Other questions about citing ChatGPT

You may have noticed the confidence with which ChatGPT described the ideas of brain lateralization and how the brain operates, without citing any sources. I asked for a list of sources to support those claims and ChatGPT provided five references—four of which I was able to find online. The fifth does not seem to be a real article; the digital object identifier given for that reference belongs to a different article, and I was not able to find any article with the authors, date, title, and source details that ChatGPT provided. Authors using ChatGPT or similar AI tools for research should consider making this scrutiny of the primary sources a standard process. If the sources are real, accurate, and relevant, it may be better to read those original sources to learn from that research and paraphrase or quote from those articles, as applicable, than to use the model’s interpretation of them.

We’ve also received a number of other questions about ChatGPT. Should students be allowed to use it? What guidelines should instructors create for students using AI? Does using AI-generated text constitute plagiarism? Should authors who use ChatGPT credit ChatGPT or OpenAI in their byline? What are the copyright implications ?

On these questions, researchers, editors, instructors, and others are actively debating and creating parameters and guidelines. Many of you have sent us feedback, and we encourage you to continue to do so in the comments below. We will also study the policies and procedures being established by instructors, publishers, and academic institutions, with a goal of creating guidelines that reflect the many real-world applications of AI-generated text.

For questions about manuscript byline credit, plagiarism, and related ChatGPT and AI topics, the APA Style team is seeking the recommendations of APA Journals editors. APA Style guidelines based on those recommendations will be posted on this blog and on the APA Style site later this year.

Update: APA Journals has published policies on the use of generative AI in scholarly materials .

We, the APA Style team humans, appreciate your patience as we navigate these unique challenges and new ways of thinking about how authors, researchers, and students learn, write, and work with new technologies.

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

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