Melanie Jackson Student Profile

Student Profile

Name: Melanie Jackson
Course: Graduate Diploma in Midwifery

What was your previous position before enrolling in the midwifery program?
I was working as a Naturopath in my own home clinic and had just finished a Masters of Nursing at Sydney Uni.

Why did you choose to study at UWS?
I knew UWS had a good reputation for educating midwives and I knew that their course had been running for a long time. I also asked around and many other midwives said that they went to UWS or had worked with students from UWS and they found them to be highly skilled. Everyone I spoke to had good things to say about the midwifery course. The other thing that was attractive was that the Uni was easy to get to and closer to my home than the Uni’s based in the City. Also I had studied a Bachelor of Health Science in Naturopathy with UWS and had a very positive experience and found them to be very organised and accommodating so I decided to go back.

What is it like to be a postgraduate student at UWS?
I found it very comfortable and felt supported by the staff. The Library staff were especially helpful in catering to my additional needs as a post grad. student by showing me more advanced ways to search for data, how to request articles that I was unable to find (and they were sent to e-mail the next day) and informed me of all the addition benefits I was entitled to as a postgraduate student (including extra borrowing rights and lending times).

What are you hoping to gain from doing this degree?
I was hoping to gain a reputable degree that would allow me to practice as a midwife and also provide me with opportunities to extend my academic career in the future, perhaps to a research masters or PhD. Also, doing this degree through UWS meant I could be more easily placed in a hospital for practical experience in The western suburbs close to home rather than having to travel.

What are your professional goals for the future?
I hope to continue work as a Naturopath and as a Midwife in a community setting. I plan to continue being self employed and providing private midwifery services to women so they can choose a home birth or to have birth support in another setting. I also hope to continue my academic career by doing and assisting with Midwifery research. Hopefully I can do a PhD in the near future that will support the continued lobbying and support for intervention free birth and home birthing. I would hope also in the future to contribute to the international practice of Midwifery by assisting community development and health promoting programs in less developed countries, including training village birth attendants.