Carol, You are right in that I choose not to work in a system that requires me to administer treatments and procedures that are at odds with my basic philosophies as a human being and midwife, but that's another argument for another day. I recognise the need for some pharmaceuticals some of the time, and I keep myself up to date with what's new, and what's not, even though I don't work within the hospital system as such. I am quite able to access a MIMS or other reference materials for this kind of information, and I really don't think it's the job of the ACMI to pick and choose which treatments I should be made aware of, surely that is my responsibility as a RM?
We're all quick to judge GP's who push certain drugs and treatments and not others, presumably for financial gain. I'm aware there has only recently been a discussion on this list about the ethics of advertising Elevit, and I know there are concerns about other such things like the Epi-No etc. So why is this any different? The fact that as a community midwife I have next to no ability to prescribe anything without the aid of a medical officer, makes it even more absurd that the ACMI would spend money on educating me about this, or any other drug for that matter. It disturbs me greatly, and I've written to the ACMI with my concerns. We are supposedly a body of well educated professionals, whose specialty, as Jan so succinctly said, is in the area of normal birth. My fears about being inundated with ads for drugs are definitely not allayed, but are not nearly as real as my fears for where we as a profession are headed if this is accepted by not only our professional body, but the majority of the members as being 'unbiased, informative and educational'. Please don't take this as a personal attack, I just really feel strongly that there is no defense for this action, Tania or unsubscribe. -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
