First Manx midwife to train on the island qualifies after 100-year campaign
A midwife from the Isle of Man has become the first to qualify after completing her practical education on the island. Her success comes 100 years after a request was first made to Tynwald (the Manx government) for £2000 to fund the building of a maternity home and school for training midwives.
The maternity home eventually opened in 1927, but with no funding or training developed. Island residents who wanted to train as a midwife had to travel for their studies, and staff working in the island’s small midwifery unit talked about feeling “stale” in terms of their own development as they were not involved in student education.
Midwives on the island had a long association with the University of Salford, where many of them travelled for their training. Jean Mason Mitchell, Midwifery Lecturer at the University and Isle of Man University Link Lecturer worked with the Head of Midwifery on the island, Barbara Roberts to revive the idea of training Manx midwives on the island, and this was finally progressed with support from Manx Care and the island’s Department of Health and Social Care.
The first student, Jess (pictured below), started training with the University of Salford in 2021, attending university in blocks of time for the academic parts of the course and completing her practical training completely on the island.
She has now qualified as the first ever Manx trained midwife, exactly 100 years after it was first suggested that the island should train their own midwives.
Jess explains the difference it has made to her to be able to complete so much of her training on the island. “I felt so lucky to have my placement on the Isle of Man – it was a very personal experience, where I’ve been able to get to know the people I care for – I’ve had new mums stop me when I’m out shopping to say hello!
“I have felt so supported and been able to gain experience really quickly as we’re a small unit. It was hard having to travel to Salford for parts of the course, but the university were really supportive, and knowing I could come home for my placement was fantastic. My transition to being a newly qualified midwife has been much easier too, I know the unit and all my colleagues so well already.”
Jean added: “Giving Manx students the opportunity to train on the island means people now have the chance to pursue a career which may not have been possible for them previously. For example, two students with children have been able to start their midwifery studies through this programme – something that they could never have done before.
“We’re so proud that the University of Salford has been able to partner with the Isle of Man team and support them in achieving this century-long dream of training their own midwives on the island.”
You can find out more about studying Midwifery at the University of Salford here.
