Hands-on midwifery training makes it a year to remember
28 January 2010
Four new midwives graduating from Hunter New England Health’s innovative Rural Midwifery Education Program tomorrow (Friday 29 January) will further increase midwife numbers in the New England region this year.
The graduation, to be held at Moree District Hospital, will be a fitting celebration for Nyomie Howie, Gail Turnbull, Steph Gilvear and Rebecca Still.
Three of the midwives will remain employed with Hunter New England Health after completing a year-long distance education Postgraduate Diploma of Midwifery.
The course is offered by Hunter New England Health through the Rural Midwifery Education Program, in conjunction with Charles Sturt University, and allows the nurses to learn on-the-job by rotating between Armidale, Inverell, Moree and Tamworth Hospital maternity wards.
Tamworth’s Steph Gilvear, who completed the majority of her training in Moree, said the program had provided the best on-the-job training experience she’d ever had.
“I worked closely with hospital midwives to develop relationships with about 15 mums, tracking their progress through pregnancy, birth and postnatal care,” Steph said.
“It was an amazing experience, and I was able to experience a range of situations, such as natural births, a caesarean section birth and another mum who had a breech birth.
“This course has been great, because it’s allowed me to remain working full time as I upgraded my skills in a hands-on environment.”
Steph has accepted full-time midwifery work with Hunter New England Health and will share her working week between Armidale and Tamworth hospitals.
The Rural Midwifery Education Program has enabled more than 80 midwives to complete their training since 1993.
The graduate midwives and the senior Hunter New England Health staff who trained them throughout 2009 will be available for media interviews at the graduation. The ceremony will be held at Moree District Hospital at 2pm tomorrow (Friday 30 January).
Contact: Emma Gibbs
Phone: 0428 114 767