A labour of love
by Rebecca Gill
If
being an exceptional midwife is all in the experience – then Maria
Viscione is set to become a star in her chosen field.
At two weeks into the Bachelor of Midwifery degree program at UniSA, new student Viscione already had her hands full … literally, with two-week-old twins.
Jenna and Alex arrived on February 21 – a new brother and sister for her school-aged sons Christian, eight and Jai, six. And although all of the Viscione children are exceptionally well-behaved, and husband Paz provides enormous support – she still feels a slight twinge of apprehension about her looming human bioscience quiz.
But despite her responsibilities as a full-time mum, Viscione is excited about beginning her degree.
“UniSA is so flexible. I’m just going to start off slow – doing one course externally over the internet. When the boys are at school and the twins are asleep – that will be my study time.”
Maria entered midwifery through the UniSA-PAL program – a preparation program for adult learners run in partnership with the University and state adult re-entry schools.
“I’ve been a beauty therapist for almost 20 years. I always wanted to study at uni – but was scared. The PAL course taught me how to study at tertiary level, and gave me the confidence to pursue midwifery.
“It’s going to be challenging, but my family is so encouraging. When I’m studying the boys pretend to study too. That’s really sweet – except for when I open up my textbook and there’s texta drawing all over an important diagram.
“Having a child is both a wonderful and emotional experience. Even though I wasn’t a new mother this time around, I still felt vulnerable – and it was those encouraging words from the midwives that helped me in the first few days. I am really looking forward to being able to provide that support to other mothers.”