OBJECTIVE This paper uses comparisons and contrasts identified during an assessment of pre-service education for midwives in three countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The purpose of the paper is to stimulate discussion about issues that must be carefully considered in the context of midwifery educational programming and the expansion of the midwifery workforce. DESIGN AND SETTING A mixed qualita...

Objective The graduates of the diploma and degree programmes of nursing and midwifery in India are considered skilled birth attendants (SBAs). This paper aimed to assess the confidence of final-year students from pre-service education programmes (diploma and bachelor's) in selected midwifery skills from the list of midwifery competencies of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM). Des...

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to explore Slovenian midwives' views of their professional status. The influence of participants' educational background on their views was also examined, since higher education is related to professionalism. DESIGN This was a quantitative descriptive survey, using postal data collection. The questionnaire comprised of six elements crucial for professionalis...

BACKGROUND Provide an up-to-date national picture of the medical, midwifery and nursing workforce distribution in Australia with a focus on overseas immigration and on production sustainability challenges. METHODS Using 2006 and 2011 Australian census data, analysis was conducted on medical practitioners (doctors) and on midwifery and nursing professionals. RESULTS Of the 70,231 medical pra...

Midwives are the most important health workers for the protection and improvement of maternal and infant health. A well organized health system and qualified midwife education programs developed in accordance with contemporary requirements are required to ensure the competence of midwives in their practice.

After reading this chapter you will be able to: • recognise the importance of research and evidence-based practice in nursing and midwifery • differentiate major philosophical approaches in the conduct of research and their use in nursing and midwifery services • understand developments in nursing and midwifery research in the context of society, politics and history • understand the links betw...

In both midwifery and nursing education, it is essential to include innovative teaching strategies that address the health of communities. This article presents a creative learning activity for midwifery and/or nursing education that integrates Mary Breckinridge's historical example with today's national goals for building communities. The establishment of the Frontier Nursing Service in 1925 i...

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing recently published a policy statement calling for the requirement of the Doctor of Nursing Practice for entry into practice as an Advanced Practice Nurse by the year 2015. Certified nurse-midwives, defined as those educated in both nursing and midwifery, are commonly included in the definition of Advanced Practice Nurses, along with nurse practiti...

The nursing and midwifery workforce is key to improving the performance of the health system overall. Health workforce shortages are significantly influenced by the productive capacity of health professions education institutions. Long-standing underinvestment in preservice nursing and midwifery education severely limits the capacity of institutions to educate nurses and midwives in sufficient ...