Graduate midwife tops Chancellor’s Prizes
Lauren Ramoth was awarded a Chancellor's Prize after graduating with the highest marks out of all November graduates.
Wed, 12 Nov 2014 14:40:00 GMT
Lauren earns averages marks of 87.10% and is shortlisted for Student Midwife of the Year
LAUREN Ramoth (pictured left with University Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Tim Thornton) had a demanding job as a benefit fraud investigator, but she wanted a career change and a degree in Midwifery Studies at the University of Huddersfield has provided just that. She has now begun to work full time at her new profession, having made a big success of her course.
Ultra-high marks en route to obtaining First Class Honours in her BSc have meant she is one of a select group to have been awarded a Chancellor’s Prize during the November 2014 graduation ceremonies.
Chancellor’s Prizes are awarded to the students who earn average marks over 80% in their final two years. Lauren earned the highest mark of all those graduating at the November Awards Ceremonies, which a mark of 87.10%.
She has scored other successes too. Aged 34 and a mother of two, Lauren was co-founder of a student Midwifery Society that has gone from strength to strength and has been awarded the Society of the Year prize by the Huddersfield University Students’ Union. Lauren herself was voted Society Personality of the Year and she has also been nominated by the University and shortlisted for Student Midwife of the Year, through the Student Nursing Times Awards 2014.
Career ambition
Lauren is from Birstall and midwifery was an early career ambition, but proved impractical at a younger age. Instead, she worked for Kirklees Council in benefit fraud investigation.
“It was a really interesting job and I loved the investigative element of it. But it was making me a thoroughly cynical person and I thought, this isn’t me! Midwifery was something I had aspired to from my late teens, but, due to circumstances in life, I was never able to explore it at the time.
With the support of her family, Lauren now took the plunge and she has now graduated from the University of Huddersfield.
“When I commit myself to something I do it 100 per cent and I just wanted to be the best I could be, especially as my family had to sacrifice a lot to enable me to come to university.”
During her studies, Lauren spent half her time on work experience, at hospital settings which included Dewsbury and Pinderfields. She has now taken a full-time job with the Leeds NHS Trust, where her time will be divided between hospital and community-based midwifery. She relishes the diversity and the challenges, which means that, like all midwives, she must display plenty of initiative.
“Midwifery has always required decision making,” said Lauren. “Extra pressure comes from the fact is that you are not just responsible for one life, but for two.”
