Steph Wall

When Steph Wall decided to move on from her office job and pursue a career in health care, she soon found herself drawn to Midwifery.

“It’s a unique space in health because you’re not usually dealing with illness or injury. I love babies, childhood development, biology and physiology, and I also love working with people. Midwifery brought all of those things together.”

Steph enrolled at Otago Polytechnic, first completing a Health Bridging Certificate and then a Bachelor of Midwifery, both by distance from Wellington.

As a self-motivated and goal-driven person, she quickly became accustomed to life as a distance student and felt well supported by her lecturers.

“Years ago, I did a short stint at university, going into the campus and sitting in a lecture theatre for three hours at a time. I didn't finish that degree, partly because I felt so insignificant in that setting,” she recalls.

“However, OP was a lovely institution to be enrolled in right from the very beginning. The lecturers actually know you well and genuinely care for you. They have a unique way of connecting with students individually. It wasn't just me – I could see it with all of my peers as well.” 

This support proved invaluable when challenges arose in Steph’s life, including a close family bereavement, significant complications with an underlying health issue and various challenges with her studies.

Due to these setbacks, it took Steph longer than she’d anticipated to complete the Midwifery programme, but with determination and perseverance she attained her degree.

“I’m like a dog with a bone,” she says, smiling. “I'm really proud and pleased that I achieved it. Even though I’ve always found studying to be quite difficult, it’s really meant a lot to me to have a degree.”

Now that she’s fully qualified, Steph is happy to be working as a hospital midwife, and would like to be a Lead Maternity Carer in the community in future.