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Hi Robyn
If it weren't for the distance - I'd be in boots and all but Warragul is about 1hr 15 from home - a little too far I think. I live in hope that one day I'll be able to practice to my full potential in my own area with support from other midwives and the hospital when need be! Well done to all of you already living this dream and those of you who have set up such programs!!!
Kiwi Kim
-------Original Message-------
Date: 12/06/2005 7:27:38 p.m.
Subject: RE: [ozmidwifery] Problems With new Models
As you would guess, I am totally supportive of what Robyn says. Cheers, Mary Murphy
From: owner-ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au [mailto:owner-ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au] On Behalf Of Robyn Thompson
Sent: Sunday, 12 June 2005 4:11 PM
To: 'Kim Stead'
Cc: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au
Subject: FW: [ozmidwifery] Problems With new Models
Hi Kim
We havent spoken for a while, when I read this message from Carol, I immediately thought of you. Are you interested?
Carol it really is sad that midwives see being on-call a problem. Being on-call is much better than continuous shift work any time. I want to allay midwives fears of being on-call. Many Australian midwives like me are on call 24 hours, 7 days a week. We are not called out all the time, we enjoy our lives and still manage to provide a wonderful service for women. It wasnt until I took a break for 3 months in USA, after 18 years of being readily available for women, that I realised how much I did need a break. My problem was that I made such a commitment that I forgot to plan regular breaks. 3 months away gave me time to clear my head and from that I learnt to reduce my workload and plan some breaks. I am still on-call and enjoy the challenge of being there for women when they need my services. Now I have more time to be proactive with midwifery issues, have some time to travel, spend time with my grandchildren and enjoy life in general.
For those who feel concerned about the on-call hours, let me reassure you it is much better when you are in a team or group practice, you can really get yourselves well established with on-call work and still manage to have a full life. A good cohesive team can work wonders together and women enjoy the warmth of good team spirit.
This note is to encourage midwives to have a go at being with women in one-to-one or small team relationships, the personal and professional rewards are amazing. I am at the far end of my wonderful career now, as I look back I feel extremely happy and satisfied with the fact that I have been on-call for hundreds of women over 20 years of service in the home, and shift work in the hospital system 10 years prior to that. The world, the planet and the universe is better off by far, for the personalised care midwives provide women. My professional and life experience is overwhelmingly wonderful because of these mothers, babies and families, number 5 and 6 babies in some families, this makes on-call easy in the big scheme of things.
Warm regards, Robyn
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au [mailto:owner-ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au] On Behalf Of Carol Van Lochem
Sent: Sunday, 12 June 2005 5:39 PM
To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au
Subject: [ozmidwifery] Problems With new Models
Hi all, I have posted here from time to time, but mostly I'm a lurker.
I work in a team midwifery model at Warragul, where we have lots of midwives who believe in continuity of care, support the women as central to the whole prossess and have a supportive obstetrician to back us up. Our problem is in recruiting midwives to work in our model. Nobody wants to do "all that on call".They "want to have a life". After all these years of fighting for this type of thing it seems there are not enough of us around to fill this role. Many support the model in principal, but don't see how they can fit it into their own lives.
Our team started just 12 months ago. It is a modified case load, with 1 night per week on call, and 1 weekend a month. We are "available" for our "own" women during the day. We provide midwife led care for up to 60 low risk women per year, and shared care for up to a further 60 "high risk" women who benefit most from having a known midwife with them in labour. We are meant to be 5, but have recently lost one, who would have rather worked as a team only, with no case load.
To my knowledge there have been no applications for this position from with in existing staff, nor has there been a response to newspaper ads. It saddens me to think that this type of model will not be sustainable in the long term. Here we are in the position of having active finacial support from DHS after many years of lobbying for it, only to risk losing it all through lack of willing staff. This problem must be coming up for others in Victoria as caseload models are put forward in other regions.
Any thoughts, suggestions, simmilar experiences? I am truely at my wits end. Sigh :(
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