The Pathway to Private Practice

Transcript

Please note this transcript was generated using AI software and may contain errors.

[00:00:00] Mel: Hello, I'm Melanie Jackson, Melanie, the midwife, and welcome to this series about becoming a privately practicing midwife in Australia this week. We are going to hear a lot of information, and it's all designed to help you understand, and if you're ready to start your journey into private practice midwifery and.

[00:00:20] Mel: Some of you have just come to learn, and observe, and explore. Just a bit curious, completely fine, welcome to you, that's great. This is the perfect opportunity for that. But if you are here and you're keen to actually start working in private practice, then I can promise you that you're on the right path by being here.

[00:00:40] Mel: This is the beginning of that journey and so I want to welcome you and congratulate you on that. It's really exciting.

[00:00:53] Mel: So a year. Every year, around October, I offer this. So, it's a great time for you, all this week you'll be getting information delivered. So, keep an eye on your email inbox, that's where it's all gonna come. And can I just say that I... I'm just feeling this really excited hum and buzz in the air for midwifery at the moment.

[00:01:14] Mel: We've kind of come out of the exhaustion that was COVID. Midwives are resurfacing and considering what they'll do next in their career. And I was speaking to the Australian College of Midwives chief midwife, Alison Weatherstone, the other day. And I was talking to her about this buzz. I'm like, something feels like it's changing and she said, oh yes, I can feel it too.

[00:01:37] Mel: We both had this really intuitive feeling that there's something big on the horizon for midwives. We're starting to regain our autonomy. We're elevating the needs of birthing women along with opportunities. For midwives to break out of the shift work, the day to day mentality of showing up for rostered work day after day after day.

[00:02:00] Mel: And I have to say over the last five years I've really noticed an increased number of midwives who are contacting me and asking for options about what they can do if they no longer want to work in a hospital. And that's what I'm here to talk about. That's what this week is about. Opening you up to the possibilities that await you in your midwifery career.

[00:02:22] Mel: We do not have to keep working this way day to day, shift to shift in jobs that don't satisfy us. So I come to you from a place of having made this change. Myself, positioning myself where I am today. I'm passionate about helping other midwives do the same. And I've been practicing, privately practicing midwife for 15 years.

[00:02:44] Mel: And in that time I've been providing women with care to give birth at home and just chipping away and building up my business to make it what it is today. Of course, in all journeys, in all new journeys, there's confusion and failures and mistakes, but they are very quickly followed by small wins and then bigger and bigger wins.

[00:03:05] Mel: And the further along I get in business, the fewer mistakes I make, the less clunky it becomes, and the bigger the wins get. And that's what I'm here to share with you today, so maybe you don't have to make the same little clunky mistakes that I made. You know, when I, um, first started in private practice, it was relatively easy to become a privately practicing midwife.

[00:03:27] Mel: But over the years, I've just watched it become more and more complex and more confusing, and it feels out of reach for a lot of midwives. And it's a real deterrent, and some midwives just don't start or try because it seems like it's too hard. And so I'm going to demystify all of this for you this week.

[00:03:45] Mel: You can skip over the hard stuff. the problems about making mistakes and just have a really clear path and understanding of what you need to do next if you want to move on to private practice in your career. Now I've been helping private midwives move, well helping midwives move into private practice for years now, formally and informally.

[00:04:09] Mel: And over the last four years, I've mentored 120 midwives. And I've watched many of them build these beautiful, successful businesses and start offering private practice midwifery services in parts of Australia that have not had access to home birth in the past. Honestly, I can feel such a change in the air.

[00:04:29] Mel: And if you are here... You could be part of that as well. And before we talk about what the beginning of your journey might look like into private practice, I want to just give you a little bit of background. On how I got here. A little bit about myself. I feel like it's important for you to know who you're dealing with.

[00:04:46] Mel: Why I should be the one giving you this information. So just like where you are, I started midwifery. You know, some of you might know a bit more, but I started midwifery knowing absolutely nothing about what it would take to be a privately practicing midwife. I mean, that's pretty much how we all start and still, until we start learning and looking and exploring.

[00:05:07] Mel: But over the last 15 years, business has become so successful for me that I turn away more clients than I could ever take on. And I'm not saying that to brag. I don't, I don't want to sort of toot my own horn, but I just want you to know what's happening for me and that it's also possible for you because many people have concerns that maybe there aren't enough women Wanting home birth to make private practice midwifery a successful career opportunity.

[00:05:33] Mel: But there is such demand out there for private midwives. I've turned away 170 women this year. That's how much demand there is and I have spoken to other private midwives and the same is happening for them. It's not just me. There's so much room for private midwives. Women are asking for more. So if there is ever a time for you to consider entering into private practice, I do believe this is now.

[00:05:59] Mel: The hum and the buzz is happening. The tide is turning. There are women who want to find midwives and there aren't enough. So we can squash those concerns if that's one of your concerns that you maybe can't make enough money being a private midwife because there aren't enough women out there. I'm here to tell you that with the current level of interest, I do believe you can take that concern off the table.

[00:06:21] Mel: So, the other big fear that I hear from midwives is that they're feeling frightened to step away from a job that pays them. But it's conflicting because they know that that job is not serving them and it's not serving women. And so it's frightening to explore a business opportunity that they don't know will even work.

[00:06:42] Mel: Now this type of thinking will immediately stop you from going on the journey to change things in your life, and you'll get stuck if you're sort of paralyzed by fear. You won't move forward, you'll get stuck there. And if you are watching this video, you came to this information because you're looking for something different.

[00:07:03] Mel: So don't let the fear paralyze your dreams. Just let it spur you on to keep learning, and motivate you to succeed in business. So turn that fear into a motivation to just keep learning. Don't be deterred from it. I'm here to help you with that. You aren't alone in doing this, and other midwives have gone before you.

[00:07:21] Mel: You're not the first person who felt frightened. But if you don't continue, you'll never get into private practice. So, back to the story. How did I start? When I graduated from midwifery, I was 24 years old. I didn't have any children. And I just stubbornly and naively committed to working as a private midwife.

[00:07:41] Mel: I knew that it was either, for me, it was going to be private practice midwifery, Or nothing. I knew I just, I couldn't bring myself to work my entire career in the system. And I take my hat off to you midwives who were doing that. I don't know how you found the strength to do that. It's amazing. I knew I couldn't.

[00:07:59] Mel: I knew it would make me emotionally, morally, mentally, physically just unwell and ill over the long term. It might be sustainable for the short term, but can you see yourself doing this for the rest of your career? I couldn't. So, I knew that private practice midwifery is where I would have to go if I was going to stay in midwifery.

[00:08:20] Mel: And I needed a career that would be sustainable. I was 24. I was going to work as a midwife for the rest of my life. I needed to pick something that was sustainable and that wouldn't drain me. And also leave room for my future plans that I had for my life and my family. I didn't want work to dictate what else I could do in my life, where I could go to when I could have time off.

[00:08:42] Mel: So, Working for myself ticked a lot of the broader goals that I had for my life and that I had for myself. So I was just so committed to fleeing the system. I didn't even need to do a new grad year. I just trained as a midwife. I got registered and went straight out into private practice. I had zero hospital based experience as a registered midwife.

[00:09:02] Mel: I was just, as a student, was my only experience in the hospital. But it's given me a really unique skillset when I'm attending births. You know, I've basically just learned to be with physiological birth, and so that has become a really unique point. Of, sort of, that's a massive part of my skill set.

[00:09:25] Mel: Something I'd really, really love to share with you all. So, I mean, unfortunately you can't do this now. The path into private practice midwifery has come a lot more arduous and just lengthy than it used to be. Uh, but that's what I want to talk to you about today. So, although things are different, I'm going to explain how things work.

[00:09:43] Mel: Um, there are a few things to get you started and a few critical things that you need to know if you're planning to work towards private practice. So, as I said, when, when I started, it was super easy. I got registered, I gathered up a kit, I made a very basic website, and along with my mentor who was sort of helping me out, uh, I made some new connections in the home birth industry and just started taking on clients.

[00:10:08] Mel: At this time, there was no insurance product at all. We were all working uninsured. There were very few requirements that we had to adhere to, none of the guidelines that we have today. So fast forward to now. It's a lot more complex. The political culture around birth in this country doesn't make it any easier.

[00:10:23] Mel: And it actually feels as though everything is working against us, uh, and resisting against us on our path into private practice. And, you know, I mean, it makes sense. We've been groomed by the system to train. in order to enter in hospitals to work. The pathway into hospital based work is easy. They tell us exactly how to do it.

[00:10:44] Mel: There's interviews. We're just groomed to move into shift work at a hospital so that we can support and uphold a maternity system that's been built around us. We're trained with the expectation that we will toe the line. And because of that, if you want to do something different to that, there is no clear pathway on how to start and do what, to do what's next.

[00:11:06] Mel: They don't teach us that at university. They don't encourage us to think broadly about our career options. We're encouraged by the whole education process and the system to fall into line, work shifts at the hospital. Midwives don't even know the basics of what else we could possibly do if we didn't work in a hospital.

[00:11:25] Mel: And that is a strategic design to keep us there. Now, it doesn't have to be this way. There are other options. You just need someone to show you how to achieve this. So today, I'm going to show you the starting point, the absolute ground level essentials of what needs to be in place for you to start planning your business.

[00:11:45] Mel: You don't, if you don't do, you know, don't do anything else until you've done what we talk about today. And I'm going to show you how to break out of that conditioning and the expectation that we're just all going to work in hospitals. So this opens up an opportunity to have clarity about how to start in private practice and break out of the small versions that we've been conditioned to be.

[00:12:06] Mel: We've been conditioned not to expect more from our careers, but there is more. You don't have to keep going down the path that you're on. And this is your opportunity to explore another option and that's what we'll be doing all week. So. This is really exciting. We're going to have a paradigm shift. Okay, these are the things that you need to do in order to become a private midwife today.

[00:12:28] Mel: So grab a pen, you, this is a kind of tick list opportunity of things that you need to be moving towards. You may well have already done them, which is really good information. Even if you've already done all these things, this is good information to have because then you know that you are on the right path to private practice.

[00:12:46] Mel: So, firstly, number one. on your page. You have to be a registered midwife and this might be obvious, but you have to have a university degree, be registered as a midwife through the nursing midwifery board, and if you want to work as a private midwife. So if you're already trained and registered, then tick, first thing is done on your list.

[00:13:06] Mel: If not, you know what to do next. Finish your training, get registered. That will be your main goal. You need to do nothing else except finish your qualification. Many of you watching, tick. Easy. You've done that. So secondly, you need 5, 000 clinical midwifery hours, which is the equivalent of three years full time clinical experience.

[00:13:27] Mel: And at the moment that has to occur over a maximum of six years. It doesn't all have to be in the hospital. And we'll talk about creative ways of banking up these hours as we go. But, um, I know 5, 000 hours sounds daunting, but there are whispers on the grapevine that are indicating that this 5, 000 hour rule is being reviewed, it will likely be changed and significantly reduced.

[00:13:50] Mel: And there's a really big push to reduce these hours. And it's been acknowledged that, yep, they're a real barrier for midwives getting to private practice. So you can, um, even if you're working on accruing these hours, just know it might not stay at 5, 000. So that's really good news. Now, thirdly, private midwives are also required to get a postgraduate degree in pharmacology and diagnostics.

[00:14:16] Mel: And there are three courses designed for midwives, um, that satisfy this requirement. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia does have all three listed on their website and there's a little link below this video. If you just click on there, that will, uh, come up with a document that shows you which three courses you can do that are approved.

[00:14:36] Mel: So... You know, and I know some of you are going, Oh my gosh, not back to university. The thought of going back to uni feels like a real big deal breaker. But don't let it frighten you. You can do that. You've already done that. You've, you've done a degree. You're a midwife. You know, I did this degree while I was pregnant and I was working.

[00:14:54] Mel: You can do it too. It's only, it doesn't last long. It's six months to a year, depending on what you choose. And you know, when we're making big changes, doing new things. and in business, we have to do hard things sometimes to get to the place where you want to go. So don't put a lid on this opportunity because it requires extra time and effort.

[00:15:13] Mel: You can do this, just hard yards at the beginning and you'll reap all the rewards. And that's the same with the 5, 000 hours. Many midwives just can't get through those 5, 000 hours and they give up. But the giver uppers will never be privately practicing midwives. So we've got to keep showing up day after day, do these hard things if we want the rewards.

[00:15:34] Mel: So, now your path is clear. If you're registered, tick. If you're working and accruing your hours, tick. If you are currently on maternity leave, you can actually also be accruing hours at that time. That's a little perk. Tick. Now, last thing to do is knock over that university course and tick. After you've finished all those things, you can become, you, you use apply to become an endorsed midwife through the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, which means that you are eligible for the insurance product that privately practicing midwives need to purchase in order to be insured from our work.

[00:16:09] Mel: So there's one person, one organization that insures us, MIGA, M I G A. You know, we do all of those things, the 5, 000 hours, the university degree. All in order to get endorsed, because MAGA will only insure endorsed midwives. And so, for that reason, only endorsed midwives can work as privately practicing midwives.

[00:16:32] Mel: You know, and as part of our endorsement, we get a Medicare provider number and a prescriber number. And all of that means that we can get Medicare rebates for a portion of our care. We can write scripts for medications if women need them and referrals to blood tests and ultrasounds. So there's a lot that we can do once we get our endorsement.

[00:16:52] Mel: So it's a worthwhile venture and a requirement if you're going to be in private practice. So, those are those initial three steps. Some of you are thinking, whoa, hang on a second, I've done all of that. And if you are already there, that is super exciting. You've already moved through what I think is the most challenging part of becoming a privately practicing midwife, is those initial steps.

[00:17:14] Mel: So if you've already completed those, the good news is, is that I mean, you're centimeters away from being able to launch yourself into private practice midwifery. It's really exciting. There is not much standing between you and private practice midwifery. So if that's you, I think pat on the back, bit of an excited dance.

[00:17:32] Mel: This is a great day. So for those of you who are still on that initial journey, you might already be feeling overwhelmed. And if you're at the beginning of the journey, I know this first bit sounds like a bit, maybe a bit much for you now. But everything that is hard can be achieved by breaking it down into small, achievable steps.

[00:17:52] Mel: And sometimes big things, you know, like working towards a private practice, can be like being confronted by this huge elephant. But, How do you eat an elephant? This is what my mum taught me. How do you eat an elephant? It's one bite at a time. And that's how we do hard things. One little micro bite at a time.

[00:18:13] Mel: Before you know it, you'll have eaten the elephant. So that's what I'm here for this week. To help you eat the metaphorical elephant. And that's why I'm offering this opportunity to help you make a map and a plan for how to get from where you are now in your career into private practice. And how we're going to progress.

[00:18:32] Mel: So, there is nothing like this opportunity in Australia. No one else is sharing this information freely like what you're going to get this week. So, lap it up. I've taken the road myself. In fact, I've taken other midwives along this road over the last 3 or 4 years. And formally mentored 120 other midwives.

[00:18:50] Mel: This is the place to be if you are ready to enter into private practice. Okay, now there are 3 things we have to get our head around when we are starting into private practice. Again, this is a pen and paper opportunity. a moment to drop down some things. So three parts to private practice. It's kind of like the three pillars.

[00:19:07] Mel: One is being clinically prepared for your work as a private midwife. Two is becoming a business person so that you can operate your own private practice because you are also running your business. In fact, I encourage private midwives to see themselves as business owners whose service is midwifery care.

[00:19:29] Mel: So many midwives tell me that they don't want to Be in business. They don't wanna do the business side of things. They just wanna be private midwives and attend women who give birth at home and give midwifery care. I'm telling you now, it's a recipe for failure to neglect to manage your business in order to focus completely on providing midwifery care.

[00:19:48] Mel: Don't let that stop you though. Don't let your concern about running a business stop you from exploring private practice. We can do this. We do hard things. So in the coming videos this week, I'm going to run you through a few things that you can do to get your business started right away. All the business basics that you need to lay down before you do anything else.

[00:20:08] Mel: We're going to take it step by step, one bite of the elephant at a time. Okay, thirdly, the third pillar, the last thing you need to consider is the legal and legislative framework around your work as a privately practicing midwife. So those are the three pillars that you've got in your head. Drop them down.

[00:20:24] Mel: You know, you've got to get your head around those things. Now those last two things, the business and the legal stuff, that's what I really want to focus on in the coming videos through the week. But right now, I'm super keen to learn more about you and what you need through this week. I'd love to know what's holding you back from moving into private practice.

[00:20:44] Mel: What are the barriers that just feel too big and scary to overcome? When, when you talk to yourself about becoming a private midwife, what stops you from going for it? Now, there's a little section below. I'd love to hear what's holding you back. What fear keeps coming up? for you for making a decision that could change the course of your career for the better.

[00:21:06] Mel: So tomorrow, I'm going to speak to some of those concerns, uh, through, uh, we'll do a Q& A. Most, and the frequently asked questions that I get about private practice, we're going to work through those. I can't wait to hear from you and keep your eye on the inbox because there's more coming. I've been Melanie Jackson.

[00:21:23] Mel: Bye for now.