Lucy, Midwife
Teesside | Severely to profoundly deaf | Two hearing aids
My job
I am a project lead midwife, I provide care to women and their babies throughout pregnancy, labour and after birth. I am also leading a project to improve the care that maternity services provide to women, especially vulnerable groups. I feel very privileged to be a midwife, I know I make a difference to women and families at a very important time of their lives. I am proud that I am able to lead changes that will continue to improve services to the most disadvantaged families in our area. My job is sometimes very challenging but I think it is one of the most rewarding jobs there is.
My technology
My hospital trust used the Access to Work grant to fund essential equipment to ensure that I can perform my job to the best of my ability. An Access to Work Assessor came to spend the morning with me at work seeing what my role involved and suggested equipment that would allow me to cope better at work. From this assessment I received several fantastic pieces of equipment that has made working in challenging listening environments so much easier.
With my Roger Select (a radio aid transmitter) and telephone adapter the caller’s voice goes directly to the Roger X (radio aid receivers) attached to my hearing aids. The Roger Select and Roger Pen also help when I’m talking to mums and other midwives. For larger meetings I have my table mic which picks up every voice in the room much clearer than hearing aids alone. I also have the amplified Thinklabs One digital stethoscope which allows me to take patients’ blood pressures, and I can hear their heartbeat straight to my aids!
Without this equipment I would not have been able to continue in my role. Previously I found using the telephone very difficult, this is an essential part of my job so I was really struggling. With my Roger Select and telephone adapter it’s so much better!
How I got here
I studied General Nursing before becoming a midwife by completing my BSc (Hons). I am now working toward my MSc.
My advice
My advice to deaf young people: With the right support and equipment anything is possible, I am working in my dream job and I feel so lucky every day that I now have the equipment to continue in the job I love.