Being the daughter of a GP and a Nurse, Daisy had always known she wanted a career in the health sector, where she could provide care.
In 2010, Daisy started her first degree at Otago University studying a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Anatomy and Structural Biology.
“My favourite part of that degree was learning about the structural development of an embryo in the womb. After that degree, I was desperate to travel and moved to London to explore Europe.”
Soon after, she found herself in Europe working in tourism, guiding travellers through the continent.
However, like many others, the pandemic put a sharp halt to her career in the tourism industry. “I got a job in traffic management (aka Lollipop lady!) in Melbourne. I spent 12 hours a day staring at gravel so had plenty of time to think about what I wanted to do once Covid was finally over.”
It was then that she concluded that midwifery was for her. Becoming a midwife meant that she would be pandemic-proof, be able to do it from anywhere, all while achieving her goal of a career in helping others.
“Studying back home in New Zealand was an easy decision as we have the gold-standard of midwifery care in the world with our lead maternity carer (LMC) model, and that’s the kind of midwife I wanted to be.”
One of the things Daisy enjoyed most about her Bachelor of Midwifery studies was the diverse cohort of students. Studying an undergraduate degree at 30 can be daunting, however she was quickly reassured by the variety of students in her course.
She also enjoyed the relationships built with her fellow midwives in training. Being on placement while studying can be draining, so having a support system made a huge difference.
“There would often be some challenging times as midwifery students, whether we were trying to juggle academic work with our clinical placement hours, or navigating a stressful or emotional experience on shift. It was amazing having such a tight knit group of people to debrief with, who had also experienced similar things throughout this degree.”
Now, Daisy is working as an LMC looking after women in Wellington and Porirua. One day, she aims to work for Doctors without Borders, or the New Zealand Medical Assistance team.
“Say yes to every learning opportunity, no matter how daunting it seems. Look after your fellow students—you’re all in the same boat, with the same assignments, and the same crazy number of clinical hours to get through.”