This note from your Student Council addresses unity within the midwifery profession. Midwifery is not an easy path and it's easier if we stick together. This is a special calling and there is a lot of unity within the profession. We share a bond. If a midwife or her family is ill, help comes from all around. We take care of each other. If we meet a midwife from far away we're instant friends.  

 

However, there is often a nasty undercurrent. "Coercion, horizontal violence, bullying, in-fighting, hostile work environment". Unfortunately these terms are used to describe many female dominated careers, such as nursing, midwifery, and lactation consultants. It may be overt or covert, conscious or subconscious, intentional or unintentional. The women who participate are among the nicest people, outside of work.

 

Every year, when the incoming class of students arrive for their first day of school at Bastyr University's Department of Midwifery, as their Practicum Coordinator I say to them, "Our commitment to you is to give you the best education possible, to evaluate you thoroughly and to not let you leave here until you've demonstrated that you have the skills necessary to be an entry-level midwife."  But, how do we know when our students have demonstrated those skills?  What assurance do we have that our graduates won't choke in an emergency or miss a serious medical condition because they didn't know enough to consult or refer in a timely manner?  

Evaluation of student readiness to practice as direct-entry midwives is the most critical assessment that midwifery educators will make.  The stakes are high-those of us who do this work know that we are the gatekeepers for a midwife who must be prepared with a well rounded theoretical education, solid clinical skills and critical thinking skills.  In the United States direct-entry midwives practice almost exclusively out of the hospital and without the benefit of that safety net and so, as we graduate entry-level midwives, it is the responsibility of educators to have evidence of the student's readiness.