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Dear All
Change is always frightening for most
people
Nostalgia and glorifying the past is so common it
is marketed in our culture!
As one who trained firstly as a hospital nurse
then a hospital midwife a university mature age nurse (educator) the
recertifying LC and homebirth midwife with several senior preceptors mentors I
see that no way is perfect we are after all human not gods!!
Also we need to
recognise that we can learn from all situations, including how to help others
next time (if the situation repeats itself?) and ourselves to learn and help
others.
That includes improving on the learning pathways we
offer to sutdent nurses and midwives.
I remember when I had doubts about my becoming a
nurse, midwife I looked at those who had the qualification and saw some I did
not think worthy of it and others who I wanted to follow.
So every place and path has it's good points and
bad and there is things to be
learnt!
One of the things I appreciate and love (value)
about the homebirth midwives I know and work with here in Perth is thier openess
to each pregnancy, birth and individual to have it's own path and being an
opportunity to learn something from it!
Denise
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2002 4:23
PM
Subject: Re: RE B MID
While direct entry Midwifery has been in
existence for a lot longer in the UK than in Australia, I do remember several
years whien i was still living there talking to midwives about how they felt
towards direct entry Midwives. In the group I had spokent o there was a
general feeling that without the nursing background they would not be any good
since they lacked a fundamental understanding of pathophysiology. However,
that attitude has slowly been changing and the profession is now much more
readily accepted.
I am doing my Bachelor of Nursing Science at the
moment (finally more than half way through!) and there is the same concerns
there. Doing the degree in University is perceived by many as not being as
good as doing hospital based training since we do not learn as much "on the
job" stuff - however, we learn other aspects that were more difficult to learn
in the hospital envirnment. One of the things I particularly like is we work
with a wide variety of clinicians in a wide variety of settings. There is a
lot of focus on questioning why we do what we do and using reflective
practice. There is also a lot of focus on research. Each method of learning
has its own advantages and disadvantages. On top of doing a degree nursing
course I am doing it part time by correspondence/distance learning. There are
a large number of nurses trained through the more traditional systems who are
horrified. "How on earth can you learn enough by distance?" However, i do
exactly the same number of clinical placement weeks as a nurse studying on
campus.
Whenever there is change in a profession,
especially in the way that profession is taught, there are alwaysgoing to be
some who find that change frightening or threatening. Does it really matter
what other midwives think of Direct Entry Midwifery? What is important is that
you feel you are doing the job you want to do, feel appropriately trained and
qualified for it and confident in the skills you develop. Those midwives who
feel uncomfortable with this new system will gradually become more accepting -
it is just because it is still new.
Nikki Macfarlane
Singapore
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, February 04, 2002 1:51
AM
Subject: Re: RE B MID
Dear Macha and Tina,
I was shocked when a friend of mine who is a midwife
reacted vehemently and negatively to the idea of B Mid. I think her
words were "It will undermine everything we have worked for - I would never
agree to work with a direct entry midwife in a hospital" When I picked
myself up off the floor and asked her about it, it turned out that she
really had no idea at all about what it was. After I explained, she
was a bit calmer about it.
Love
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