----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, October 05, 2006 8:18
AM
Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Backward
step
I would like to reply to this one as a just about to finish
Mid student with 6 years as an RN. There are two ways to become a midwife in
Au, a one year (18 months) upgrade or a 3 year direct entry course. The
upgrade course for RN's relies on the fact that you have some nursing
experience WHY? From where I am now, I absolutely agree that an RN cannot do
the full job of a midwife without formalised midwifery training. Before
I began my course, I too thought that midwifery was really just another
nursing specialisation like an ICU nurse or a Psyc Nurse.
There are a lot of skills and practices that are
common to both professions especially as most of us work in a hospital
setting. Midwifery requires advanced people skills, time management skills and
assessment skills as well as learning to work within the hospital system and
learning to work with other health care professionals in an often autonomous
role. Even after 3 years of training RN's need a new grad year to develop the
basics of these skills and probably a further 2 or 3 years to become
proficient. Obviously maturity, background and life experience all play a part
in this transition.
I have met a couple of new grad RN's who have gone
straight into 1 year mid training and they appear to find it difficult as the
upgrade program appears to expect a level of knowledge/experience not yet
developed in a new grad RN. Not to say that experienced RN's find it a breeze,
its not. It's hard work and can be bloody stressful ;) Obviously this is a
generalisation and once again the maturity, background and life experience of
the individual will apply.
In NZ RN's were able to upgrade in a similar way.
However those RN's felt that they were not receiving as adequate training as
the direct entry Midwives. So now RN's complete the same course as the direct
entry mids with a credit for a portion of the course based on their
qualification/experiance.
So that is why I feel as an RN almost
midwife that RN's should have at least one year post grad experience prior to
training. The better way would be to do the 3 year direct entry course if you
want to be a midwife and not an RN as well.
Some more thoughts on the original post.
It feels like the proposal to train RN's to work in
mid is not based on a concern for the patients or the RN's but a way of
staffing the ward cheaply. They could offcourse pay for these RN's to do the
Mid training which is available, as it is appropriate for mid students who
happen to be RN's to work on the ward under midwife supervision. Assuming the
RN's are willing to complete the appropriate assignment work etc. If they
aren't they are they really the right ppl to be working on maternity in the
first place.
Most RN's would agree that it would be inappropriate to
replace RN's with AIN's and train them to look after patients, take obs,
change dressings, mobilise patents etc. Then have an RN be held responsible
should the AIN make a mistake or fail to recognise a patient who had
deteriorated or needed reviewing. That is the legal situation in Queensland if
an RN works in a maternity unit. They work under the supervision of the
midwife, so the midwife is the one held responsible for the practice of the RN
should there be a problem.
Remember an American obstetrics nurse is just that, not a
midwife (yes America has midwives too). They really are nurses as Doctors
perform most of the advanced birthing roles (like actually delivering the baby
etc) that midwives do here.
Rgds Mike
On 10/2/06, Rene and
Tiffany <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
It has
been fantastic reading all the responses to the nurse/midwife
question. As a nurse about to begin midwifery training, I look forward
to learning and developing the specialist skills you wonderful women have
described! My original response stemmed from the fact that I became a
nurse ONLY to become a midwife (as there was no other way at the time), but
found that, I was unable to get any exposure to such, as training nurses and
RN's are generally unwelcome in maternity. I would have given anything
to have the opportunity to work and 'help out' in maternity whilst waiting
to secure a student midwife place. Instead I went straight into Mental
Health after I qualified as an RN, whilst waiting for one of the 6 midwifery
training positions that are offered. Perhaps this does raise the issue
about providing more training places for student midwives, and why is it
that we have to work as NURSES for a minimum 12 months before we can train
as midwives, when as many have pointed out – 'where is the nursing care in
midwifery?' Thanks J
Going back to the
maternity nurse or Gen/ Obstetric nurse working in Midwifery
is how NZ worked in the 70's & 80's. It was unsatisfactory then
& would be the same now, despite the fact the we did 6 months
obs in our general training we weren't midwives & it
showed.
I worked in
mid whilst attending homebirths, worked in birth suite, postnatal, taught
pre-natal classes & spent 3 years in charge of SCN as a
RGON in the early 80's & when I went to train as a midwife
just like Di M I too found it a
revelation.
It's a retrograde
step & undermines all the recognition of your specialised
profession you Australian midwives have fought so hard for. It's just
another path on: "follow the American leader".
----- Original Message -----
Sent:
Monday, October 02, 2006 9:54 AM
Subject: Re:
[ozmidwifery] RE:
I agree Michelle, I too worked
in a rural area prior to completing my Mid many years ago and can still
remember the revelations I felt while learning Midwifery. As
an RN non Midwife, I was quite ignorant of what a true Midwife's role
involved. It was scarey stuff.
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