Claudia’s midwifery dreams come to life

As a young girl, Claudia Newton was always the first one to help her brothers when they fell over, fetching the medical kit from underneath the kitchen sink and acting as their nurse.

She has always wanted to help people.

And now Claudia is making a career out of it, thanks to her experience with Mater Education.

The now 18-year-old participated in the popular High School Health Adventure Program  in 2019 when she was in Year 10 and again in 2021 when she was in Year 12.

The program is run by Mater Education, attracting students from a range of different high schools to partake in the two-day hands-on experience where they learn about midwifery, physio, social work, pharmacy and other fields.

Students can participate in simulation with manikins, skills stations, digital technology and case-based scenarios to create a real-world learning environment.

A simulation is essentially a mock hospital ward, where students can experience what ‘a day in the life’ of a healthcare professional might look like.

Claudia, who travelled to Brisbane from her home in the New South Wales South Coast to attend the program, said her interest in the medial field only grew stronger.

“The program was such a cool experience and the simulations made the experience so fun and engaging,” she said.

“I would absolutely recommend this program to other young people, especially if they are unsure if they want to pursue a career in the medical field.

“For me, the program confirmed my love for nursing and gave me a boost in motivation to get my HSC done and achieve my goal of attending university as a nursing student.

“I am currently a first-year nursing student at the University of Wollongong. After I graduate, I hope to work as a Registered Nurse (RN) for a few years before starting a degree in midwifery.”

Claudia said it wasn’t only Mater Education’s High School Health Adventure Program which solidified her decision to work in the maternity space.

“My mum always said she wished she had been a midwife which pointed me to look into a career in midwifery.

“I’m really grateful to my mum for discussing her desire to be a midwife because without her, I wouldn’t have even thought about this pathway.”

As for her post-university plans, Claudia has ambitious ideas.

“My ultimate goal is to travel the world to places that need medical assistance and help the less fortunate,” she said.

“I also studied Indonesian in high school so putting that knowledge into practice by travelling as an RN to Indonesia and surrounding countries would be amazing.”

For more information about the High School Health Adventure program, visit https://www.matereducation.qld.edu.au/career-pathways/training-in-schools