From caring for vulnerable babies to changing neonatal care

I knew I had found the right career when I started working in a neonatal unit as a junior doctor. I was happier there than on any other placement and found myself reading about neonatology at home because I genuinely wanted to know more.

My biggest passion is improving how we care for vulnerable babies. Southampton’s online MSc Neonatology is helping me turn that into action. 

Seeing the difference I could make

Meeting a past patient was a definite ‘lightbulb’ moment in my life.  

As a junior doctor, I cared for an extremely unwell premature baby. Three years later, I unexpectedly met him and his family again. He was attending the same mainstream nursery as my daughter and doing incredibly well.

Seeing him brought home the difference neonatal care can make, not just to a baby but to an entire family.

Turning learning into better care

My supervisor recommended Southampton’s MSc when I said I was considering a career in neonatology.

My module mentors are clinicians, so what I learn connects directly to the decisions and challenges we face every day. Learning alongside neonatal professionals from around the world has also encouraged me to question why we do things in certain ways and what we can learn from different approaches.

The Neonatal Neurology module particularly inspired me. It showed me how much we still have to learn about brain development and made me consider subspecialising in neonatal neurology.

My dissertation builds on that interest through a quality improvement project at work. I am exploring how we care for the most premature babies and what we can do to reduce the risk of bleeding in their brains.

It has taught me another important lesson too. After my first dissertation proposal was unsuccessful, I realised that sometimes making a bigger difference means doing fewer things well, then building from there. 

Making an MSc work around medicine and motherhood

Studying online made the MSc possible for me. When I started, I was a junior registrar at the Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital in Belfast. I then went on my second maternity leave, and studying gave me a valuable way to stay connected with neonatology while I was away from clinical work.

During the final weeks of my maternity leave, I interviewed for subspecialty training in neonatology. I was successful and now work at the same centre as a neonatal subspecialty trainee. The MSc definitely helped me get the post.

Balancing medicine, motherhood and a master’s has not always been easy. But the flexibility of online study and support from the programme have allowed me to keep progressing around life with two young children.

Taking the next step

The MSc has given me more than knowledge. It has increased my confidence to approach experts, question practice and contribute my own ideas.

I want to continue my quality improvement work, particularly projects focused on protecting babies’ developing brains. One day, I would also love to return to the MSc as a mentor and support other neonatal professionals.

My biggest challenge will continue to be balancing work and family commitments. But the MSc has shown me that I can keep developing my career while making a difference to the babies and families I care for.