Dear list: Firstly PI for midwives: I recently heard from a Canadian midwife what is happenning there re PI: they were faced not with withdrawal of insurance but with savagely escalating costs of premiums (from $2,000 per yr to $40,000 per yr). Apparently in British Columbia the College of Midwives in conjunction with the government developed a self insurance scheme where by the midwives pooled their premiums and were underwritten by the government. So far there haven't been any big law suits, and if there is one then they may be belly up, so to speak, but for the moment they are insured for a reasonable premium. I am presuming the students are also covered.
Now student insurance: when I came over as a student midwife to ST. George, there was concern that my insurance wasn't sufficient. In the US we didn't have to be insured as a student unless we worked in a hospital, then because we weren't a hospital employee, we needed insurance. It is provided by Dean Insurance Agency, Inc. (for those of you who have access to copies of Midwifery Today they advertise there). The contact person is Ann Geisler, her email is: [EMAIL PROTECTED] she would be able to advise you re what is currently available. It appears that a lot has changed since September 11 (the date and reason publically given for either withdrawing insurance or raising the premiums astronomically). If Dean is still offering insurance to midwives and student midwives, one possible drawback is that any court cases would have to be in the USA.????? That is how my policy is worded. The other concern raised in Sydney was my lack of workers compensation, which wasn't really covered by my policy, and since I wasn't a hospital employee I didn't have. My school drew up an official looking agreement stating that St. George would not be held liable by the school or myself if I was injured or became ill due to working there. But, it seems the hospitals and clinics that students will work in while at Flinders Uni could solve this by making you employees. I think that is how the med students will get by: they will probably restrict the actual medical students to observation roles, but the residents will have a salary (albiet a pittance) but it will cover them insurance and workers comp. wise. So, maybe you all have to become resident midwives/midwifery residents/student midwife residents or whatever and be temporary employees of the hospitals and clinics. How are the Victorian Uni's handling it?? I thought that was how it was done anyway? PI in general: even though it appears sometimes that midwives are being targeted specifically it appears to be (to me) that it is any small business person, midwife, doctor, house painter, landscape architect. Here is Seattle many GP's are going out of business as their PI insurance goes through the roof (around $40,000/year without obstetrics). Something has to be done unless we are happy to all go to the one place for everything. (that is a very flaky sentence, but oh well). lots of love to you all. I am still waiting for my exam results. marilyn -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
