Midwifery education initiative

Midwifery education initiative to give workforce much-needed boost

The midwifery workforce and mothers stand to benefit from a new education initiative being trialled in Middlemore Hospital.

AUTUniversityand Counties Manukau District Health Board (CMDHB) are officially launching the Midwifery Development and Education Service on Tuesday, May 1.

It aims to develop the midwifery workforce by integrating practice, education and research to provide high quality midwifery care for women in uncomplicated labour and birth. This is the first initiative of its kind in New Zealand.

There will be up to nine supervised learners a day who will help provide intrapartum (labour and delivery) care for pregnant women considered low risk who are booked into the maternity service in Middlemore's Birthing Suite and Women's Health Service.

AUT's Head of Midwifery Jackie Gunn says the learner places will include AUT midwifery students, CMDHB midwives recertifying for their practising certificates and CMDHB midwives returning to practice.

Senior midwives, including a team leader appointed by AUT, will act as preceptors with the students and supervise them throughout the shift. The Service will function on a 24-hour basis, Monday to Friday, which may increase to seven days after the first year.

The Service was developed in response to the midwife shortage, says Ms Gunn. There are 3000 midwives in New Zealand at present with an average age of 50. The number of women ready to step into a senior midwives role is thin, says Ms Gunn. Between 1980-1989 only about 350 midwives in total were produced, she says, when 200 a year were needed.

"New Zealand needs more midwives entering the profession, and to ensure they get quality education, students need exposure to senior midwives. The Service goes some way in meeting these needs," says Ms Gunn.

"By having more clinical places available to students, our degree programme grows in capacity which leads to more midwives in the future," says Ms Gunn. "It also passes on essential skills from experienced midwives in a primary maternity care environment, who are role models to these students."

MiddlemoreHospital's Director of Midwifery, Thelma Thompson, says in Counties Manukau more woman book with the hospital for primary maternity care then other DHB areas. This is due to not enough independent midwives locally and compounded by the area's increasing birth rates.

"This initiative will enable one to one care for women in low-risk labour and birth, and free up other staff to look after complex cases," she says.

Ms Thompson says it will also provide the same opportunities for CMDHB staff who are recertifying or returning to work will help retention rates and keep staff updated.

ENDS

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