Creativity and Flexibility are the Hallmarks of Midwifery Education

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1 Certified Professional Midwives Creativity and Flexibility are the Hallmarks of Midwifery Education Jo Anne Myers-Ciecko, MPH CPM Symposium March 2012

2 To Educate from the Latin E ducer: To Assist at the Birth of

3 Learning Teaching

4 Life Experience Midwives Student Mothers/Families Other Health Professionals

5 Education in the early days of the home birth movement Learning from our own experiences, attending each others births Self-study, study groups Grand midwives/parteras Exceptional communities Physicians, nurse-midwives Schools, birth centers

6 Creative and Flexible Local, community-based education Personal, relationship-based Small-scale Woman/family-centered

7 We can be really proud of the many innovative, audacious, deeply meaningful ways that we have found to teach midwifery: workshops, books, schools, home birth practices, birth centers. AND we can be proud of the certification and accreditation agencies we ve built that hold the space to recognize and validate multiple routes to midwifery.

8 North American Registry of Midwives Portfolio Evaluation Process An organized framework to guide and evaluate students who undertake individualized study (short courses, apprenticeship, non-accredited programs) Completion of a program accredited by the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council

9 Half of new CPMs qualify through PEP More than two dozen non-accredited programs Several associated with birth centers, large midwifery practices, or state midwifery associations Two located in community colleges Hundreds of home birth and birth center practices

10 Ancient Art Midwifery Institute Art of Midwifery Association of Texas Midwives, Midwifery Training program Aviva College of Midwifery and Maternal-Child Health Barefoot Doctors Academy The Center for the Childbearing year Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery Creative Health and Birthing Arts Family Birth Services Midwifery Course The Farm Midwifery Workshops Goddard College, Health Arts and Science Program Hands of Light: Center for traditional Midwifery and the Healing Arts Heart and Hands Midwifery Intensive House of La Matrona, Family Wisdom, and Women's Arts Institute of Holistic Midwifery International Center for Traditional Childbearing Massachusetts Midwives' Alliance Mercy in Action College of Midwifery and Primary Health Care Michigan School of Traditional Midwifery Midwest Maternal-Child Institute New Life Birth Service New Life Home Birth Northern New Mexico Midwifery Center South Louisiana Community College Southwest Wisconsin Technical College Via Vita Wise Womanhood, Treehouse Yoga and Healing Arts WomanCraft Midwifery Studies Program

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12 Half of new CPMs qualify as graduates of MEAC-accredited programs Bastyr University Department of Midwifery: blended on-line/classroom and home/birth center; financial aid; Masters degree in Midwifery Birthingway College of Midwifery: classroom and home/birth center; financial aid; Bachelors degree in Midwifery Birthwise Midwifery School: classroom and home/birth center; financial aid; Certificate of Midwifery Florida School of Traditional Midwifery: classroom and home/birth center; financial aid; Certificate Maternidad la Luz: classroom and birth center; Certificate Midwives College of Utah: online and home/birth center; ASM, BSM, MSM National College of Midwifery: standard curriculum, individualized study, home and birth center; ASM, BSM, MSM, PhD National Midwifery Institute: self-study modules and home/birth center; Certificate Nizhoni Institute of Midwifery: classroom and home/birth center; Certificate

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15 What is the value of accreditation? To improve the quality of education through a process of self-evaluation and feedback from other educators To hold educational programs accountable to students, peers, and the public To enable schools to participate in federally-funded student financial aid programs To assure graduates will meet requirements for national certification and/or state licensure

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17 We have created a viable model for community-based education Everyeducational path, including formal schools, for CPMs is built on the midwifery model of care, midwives working side-byside with students, providing continuity of care, out-of-hospital settings

18 Today s students Young, green, and just as passionate about women and birth as we ever were!!! Basic education sometimes inadequate Smart, tech savvy, collaborative, building social networks More likely to move around between educational programs, like options! Women of color interest growing, need is great, opportunities increasing Not put off by professional midwifery; want credit for education, need to make a living

19 Challenges Dramatic variations in legal and professional environments across the country Professional role of midwives: scope of practice, community health care providers, public health responsibilities, work in federally-qualified health centers, hospital privileges, international mobility Adequate numbers of qualified faculty (both course instructors and preceptors)

20 Interesting developments Preceptors more experience working with apprentices and with students from a variety of schools Schools growing expertise in education methods, distance education Schools -- building post-entry-level programs (research, policy, education, administration) Higher education education technology getting better, less expensive, widely-accepted

21 More interesting developments Where licensure, autonomous practice, and reimbursement are available CPMs are flourishing and CPM-owned birth centers are multiplying Numerous examples of counties where CPMs/LMs are attending 10 to 25% of all births Midwives in some communities are already turning women away because they don t have the capacity to serve everyone seeking midwifery care

22 Students want flexibility, access to learning resources, collaborative networks, and credit for their work Are we prepared to meet the needs of our precious student midwives??? Women need more midwives Our maternity care system is ripe for transformation Are we prepared to train thousands of midwives to meet the need???

23 Preparing tomorrow s midwives It s time to get even more creative We have the values, the credentialling and accreditation systems, the experience, and the passion to meet the challenge! It s time learn how we can apply best practices in education, employ state-of-the-art technology and build our collaborative networks to expand opportunities in midwifery education!

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