UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 01 APRIL 2015
A group of student midwives from Birmingham City University have signed themselves up to the 10k Royal Marines Commando Challenge, which will help to raise money for the Devon Air Ambulance Trust and the Royal Marines Benevolent fund.
As the first university to sign-up to the challenge the students hope that the gruelling event will help to embed the “6 C’s” of the NHS into their way of thinking - care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment.
Lee Wright, Senior Lecturer in Midwifery at Birmingham City University, said: “There are a great many parallels between working as a midwife and being a Royal Marine. The two professions have to display similar attributes and values to enable them to perform well in a very stressful environment, such as unity, adaptability, humility, fortitude and commando humour.
“By undertaking this challenge I hope the students will develop a sense of teamwork and the ability to respond quickly and decisively in an emergency. They will also have great fun and pride in having achieved something really special.”
The 10k Commando Challenge has been inspired by the same training course used daily by the UK’s Royal Marines in order to earn their green beret. The endurance obstacle course will include crawling through tunnels in complete darkness, being submerged in deep cold water and plenty of mud! The course is designed to test physical strength and mental grit.
So far almost 20 1st and 2nd year students on Birmingham City University’s midwifery course have signed up to the challenge and have begun endurance training with British Military Fitness (BMF), alongside support from the University in order to ensure students are physically and mentally fully prepared to undertake the challenge.
The midwife students will be competing in the 10k Royal Marines Commando Challenge on the 10 October, with various fundraising activities taking place throughout the year. Donations can be made to the JustGiving page.