Becoming a Maternity Nurse in the UK

There is no formal certification for maternity nurses in the UK, so becoming a maternity nurse is actually as easy as deciding to become one! However, it would be highly unlikely that a maternity nurse with no training and no relevant experience would be hired by many families.

Those interested in becoming a maternity nurse in the UK should set out to gain some relevant training and relevant experience before deciding to go into business for themselves.

Maternity Nurses And Training

There are many types of training that would benefit those interested in becoming maternity nurses. Certification in nursing and/or midwifery would both be useful for maternity nurses, as would certification in child care and basic first aid.

Specialised training for supporting breastfeeding mothers, such as from La Leche League, would also be a good idea for prospective maternity nurses.

Some nanny schools, such as Norland College, provide excellent training for potential nannies and MNT Training also offers an OCN Maternity Practitioner Award that is recognised as a formal qualification in maternity nursing. This award covers topics related to post natal care for infants and mothers.

All programmes which offer certifications in maternity nursing should be investigated fully to find out what the course content includes and which awarding body will ultimately bestow the certification.

Maternity Nurses And Experience

Many maternity nurses feel that relevant experience is far more important than formal training, but it must be the right kind of experience in order to make a difference to future employers.

Any experience in child care and working with infants can be useful for future maternity nurses, but because maternity nursing is so specialised individuals who are experienced in night work, breastfeeding support, post natal care of infants and living with employers will often be preferred over those without this kind of experience.

Being able to provide good references will also be important for maternity nurses in order to prove their professional experience.

Maternity Nurses And Self-Employment

Maternity nurses are usually self employed. This means that they are responsible for all aspects of their business, from marketing themselves to taking bookings to negotiating wages to keeping their finances in order.

As self employed workers maternity nurses must register with the Inland Revenue when they commence their business and they will remain responsible for paying their taxes and National Insurance (NI) contributions.

Maternity nurses will also need to keep their business expenses in order and plan for their own pensions. Depending on their income and inclination, some maternity nurses may find that working with professionals such as solicitors and accountants help them keep all of their business affairs in order more efficiently than they could on their own.

There is no one way to become a maternity nurse in the United Kingdom, nor is there a single qualification that acknowledges maternity nurses as properly trained and of a professional standard. Instead, prospective maternity nurses must ensure that they undertake training relevant to their chosen career, that they gain experience in working with babies and families, and that they understand the business aspects of being self-employed.