After studying journalism and communication sciences at the University of Vienna, she worked in PR and marketing for several years. As a PR manager in a hospital, she came into contact with midwives for the first time. Her fascination was awakened. She completed a taster day and received confirmation that this was what she wanted to do as a career.

But first came her own family planning. The centre of her life shifted from Vienna to southern Burgenland. When the bachelor's degree programme in midwifery started at the Pinkafeld campus in 2022, she saw this as another sign that she was on the right track. "Commuting to Vienna or Graz was no longer an option for me as a mother, so I started studying in Pinkafeld at the age of 37."

What makes Verena Schwarz's job so special?

She has been working in the delivery room at Oberwart Hospital since 1 October. Her main duties here include providing care during the birth. In the long term, after a few years of experience, she would also like to offer postnatal care.

The graduate really enjoyed her degree programme and, above all, the practice-based learning. However, it was always challenging to complete a full-time degree programme with internships - including in other federal states - alongside her family.

She dedicated her bachelor's thesis to the mental effects of obesity during pregnancy. "Raising awareness of postpartum depression is close to my heart, as it affects far more women than is generally assumed." Read more about this here: Obesity during pregnancy also harms the psyche - University of Applied Sciences Burgenland