Dear list.
As most of you may be aware the University of SA and Flinders University
are collaboratively developing a three year undergraduate midwifery degree
(Direct Entry) to be offered in 2001. We have appointed a project
officer. One of our aims is to coordinate a national collaboration. We
would be pleased to hear from any interested universities.
This letter has been sent to the University of SA and Flinders University
from the ANF SA Branch following a number of letters sent to them asking
them to review their policy on direct entry when they had their annual
state delegates conference in August.
I QUOTE(I had great difficulty in writing this even though it is a quote -
referring to midwifery as nursing!! )
"...delegates voted overwhelmingly to maintain ANF's curent policy position
regarding midwifery including opposition to direct entry programs.
The ANF has a national policy which oppose direct entry education programs
for specialist areas of practice such as midwifery and mental health
nursing. The basis for this is that we believe that it is necessary for
nurses to undertake a broard-based undergraduate program and to specialise
at postgraduate level. This is particularly relevent in the contemporary
environment where clients' needs are so diverse and nurses must be able,
more than ever before, to respond to the full range of needs. Further
more, there continue to be chronic shortages of specialist nurses in rural
and remote areas particularly of midwives and mental health nurses.
Employers in these areas continue to assert that direct entry courses will
not address these shortages.
Consequently we wish to reiterate our concerns about the university's plans
to introduce a direct entry midwifery program, as we do not believe it is
in the best interests of the community or the nursing profession."
END OF QUOTE
There was some debate at the ACMI conference in Tassie around the issue of
should we just ignore ANF. As ACMI does not have an industrial arm we have
nowhere to go for industrial issues execpt ANF. In SA the professional
officer is supportive of Direct Entry and understands midwifery is a
separate profession, however we are up against a national policy.
What does the list think about this issue?
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