I noticed on your website that you support and teach students
How are the students involved in my care?
Students are involved in your care to your level of comfort and their degree of knowledge. Students are always under my direct supervision. Students often perform simple tasks (blood pressure/urine dips) that they are qualified for. With any more advanced skills, we ask permission from clients and they can give a yes or no without coercion or judgment. I encourage my students (and clients) to always ask me for clarification/support and help whenever needed! We always include mom and families in whatever discussion we are having. We all learn together! Families and students should always feel safe, seen, and have the answers they seek!
But Midwife Kitty, why do you support, advocate, and teach students at all? If your aim is to honor privacy and the Midwife/client bond, why do you have students?
The number one reason I support students at Illuminated Midwifery is that there aren’t enough midwives! Florida allows for legal Midwifery practice and has for many years and yet most years we’ll have less than two hundred practicing midwives for the entire state of Florida (112 this last year)! The low number of practicing midwives compared to the time we’ve been licensing Midwives speaks to the hurdles that students go through to become midwives and the strain midwives face staying in practice.
A few reasons for the low number of midwives (a non-comprehensive list):
Midwifery is a lifestyle commitment. Many midwives have very limited personal lives. Many Midwives don’t get paid well. Many midwives face the strain of being an outsider to the medical community. Many midwives take very limited time off because of the limited availability of other local midwives.
Student Midwives work for credit (they do not get paid for the most part). They are expected to be on-call 24/7, they are usually commuting long distances. Student Midwives are often working for more than one practice (to meet their clinical benchmarks). The working conditions for student midwives are solely at the discretion of their precepting Midwife (for the good or for the ill).
How do we (as a community) continue doing this good Midwifery work?
We should continue to nurture and guide student Midwives. Especially as a longer practicing Midwife (eight years as of writing this). We want to model healthy ways to practice Midwifery. A safe and sane midwife is going to give clients their best care. We want your daughter, and your daughter's daughter to have an incredible, smart and supportive midwife too! Ultimately, if you care about Midwifery care, you care about student Midwives.
Are student midwives qualified?
Yes! Student Midwives have already done significant learning before being placed at a “clinical site”. Student Midwives frequently attend prenatal appointments. You come to know them, just as you’d know me. They are undergoing the intensive process of becoming a Midwife and have chosen this path very deliberately. Student Midwives are more qualified and committed than assistants (though I employ birth assistants as a backup and assistants do a credible job it is a different level of engagement).
Can I decline student participation:
Yes, because I visit clients in their homes (commuting with a student) a student may be present in an observation role even if they are doing no hands-on care. I encourage families to allow for a student at their birth because they are more qualified than a typical birth assistant and this is a benefit for the family.
Resources:
ANNUAL REPORT OF MIDWIFERY PRACTICE. 7th ed., 3 September 2024, Florida. https://www.floridahealth.gov/licensing-and-regulation/midwifery/annual-report/index.html, https://www.floridahealth.gov/licensing-and-regulation/midwifery/annual-report/_documents/2024.10.01.2024MidwiferyAR-FINAL.pdf. Accessed 7 November 2024.
“Burnout of the US midwifery workforce and the role of practice environment.” Health Services Research, vol. 57, no. 2, 2022, pp. 351-367. Wiley.onlinelibrary, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1475-6773.13922. Accessed 7th November 2024.
Florida Tradtional School of Midwifery Handbook. Gainesville, 2019, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58b59ec8e3df28ac9a98f10b/t/65e250e04fbf6278919f7fa7/1709330659223/Preceptor+Handbook.pdf. Accessed 7th November 2024.
“How to Become a Midwife in the United States.” Sarah Braun, https://rewildmothers.com/blog/how-become-midwife-united-states. Accessed 7th Novemeber 2024.
“Prevalence of and factors associated with burnout in midwifery: A scoping review.” European Journal of Midwifery, 2020, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7839164/. Accessed 7 November 2024.
