Any action? Reflections on the Australian Midwifery Action Project

Gray, JE; Smith, RM

Any action? Reflections on the Australian Midwifery Action Project

Gray, JE

Smith, RM

Permalink

Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Women and Birth, 2017, 30 (3), pp. 177 - 183
Issue Date:: 2017-06-01

Closed Access

	Filename	Description	Size
	Any action Reflections on the Australian Midwifery Action Project.pdf	Published Version	350.47 kB	Adobe PDF	View/Open

Copyright Clearance Process

Recently Added
In Progress
Closed Access

This item is closed access and not available.

Full metadata record

Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Gray, JE https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5204-2873	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Smith, RM https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3985-3951	en_US
dc.date.available	2017-02-15	en_US
dc.date.issued	2017-06-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Women and Birth, 2017, 30 (3), pp. 177 - 183	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1871-5192	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/113346
dc.description.abstract	© 2017 Australian College of Midwives Background In 1997 a group of midwifery academics, researchers and practitioners met to discuss issues of concern related to the midwifery profession in Australia. It became clear from this discussion that midwifery in Australia was lagging behind similarly developed countries and that urgent action was required. From this meeting, a plan was developed to seek funding for a major national study into midwifery education and practice standards and as such, the Australian Midwifery Action Project (AMAP) was born. Discussion This discussion paper presents an overview of a number of midwifery education and regulation changes within the framework of the recommendations from the Australian Midwifery Action Project. A key question arising from this discussion is whether our current midwifery education and regulation standards provide a fit-for-purpose workforce that ensures all women and their families receive best practice midwifery care. Over the past 20 years the Midwifery profession in Australia has undergone significant changes and developments and these changes have had, and continue to have, significant impact on midwifery education and therefore on the quality of midwifery practice in Australia. Conclusion Many changes have been implemented in the nearly 20 years since AMAP was first conceived. However, many of the issues that provided the impetus for a project such as AMAP remain and are still to be resolved. The midwifery profession continues to be subsumed with nursing, it is not possible to gain accurate midwifery workforce data and, despite the development of national standards for midwifery education, wide variations in courses still exist across Australia.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Women and Birth	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.wombi.2017.02.008	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Obstetrics & Reproductive Medicine	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Humans	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Midwifery	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Pregnancy	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Adult	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Nurse Midwives	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Accreditation	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Professional Autonomy	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Australia	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Female	en_US
dc.title	Any action? Reflections on the Australian Midwifery Action Project	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	3	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	30	en_US
utslib.for	11 Medical and Health Sciences	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health/Midwifery
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Graduate School of Health
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CHSP - Health Services and Practice
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	3	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	30	en_US

Abstract:

© 2017 Australian College of Midwives Background In 1997 a group of midwifery academics, researchers and practitioners met to discuss issues of concern related to the midwifery profession in Australia. It became clear from this discussion that midwifery in Australia was lagging behind similarly developed countries and that urgent action was required. From this meeting, a plan was developed to seek funding for a major national study into midwifery education and practice standards and as such, the Australian Midwifery Action Project (AMAP) was born. Discussion This discussion paper presents an overview of a number of midwifery education and regulation changes within the framework of the recommendations from the Australian Midwifery Action Project. A key question arising from this discussion is whether our current midwifery education and regulation standards provide a fit-for-purpose workforce that ensures all women and their families receive best practice midwifery care. Over the past 20 years the Midwifery profession in Australia has undergone significant changes and developments and these changes have had, and continue to have, significant impact on midwifery education and therefore on the quality of midwifery practice in Australia. Conclusion Many changes have been implemented in the nearly 20 years since AMAP was first conceived. However, many of the issues that provided the impetus for a project such as AMAP remain and are still to be resolved. The midwifery profession continues to be subsumed with nursing, it is not possible to gain accurate midwifery workforce data and, despite the development of national standards for midwifery education, wide variations in courses still exist across Australia.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/113346