2022 Midwifery Postgraduate Courses
Courses are 15 credits (approx.150 hours) except for those with * which are 30 credits (approx. 300 hours)
Preceptorship for Midwives
14 February to 01 April 2022
Course Coordinator: TBC
This course invites midwives to explore and develop their understanding of preceptorship in midwifery. A variety of theoretical concepts will be explored around notions of power, ownership of knowledge, transmission of knowledge, support and professionalism within the preceptorship relationship.
These concepts will be applied in the context of frameworks for professional practice in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
Indicative content:
- Theories and models of preceptorship.
- Adult learning theory.
- Socio-political context of midwifery education, midwifery practice, and the midwifery profession in New Zealand.
- Professional framework for midwifery practice in New Zealand with regards to preceptorship
- Overview of theories relating to power, ownership and transmission of knowledge in relation to preceptorship.
- Analysis of potential barriers and enablers to establishing positive relationships with student midwives, women, colleagues and lecturers.
- Assessment of student midwives’ needs.
- Exploration of various skills and teaching tools and the impact of these on the mentoring process, including:
- learning contracts
- setting objectives/goals
- clinical skills teaching
- clinical supervision
- making assessments
- self assessment
- story telling
- debriefing
- giving feedback
- receiving feedback
- report writing.
- Using evidence in practice
- Conflict resolution and negotiation skills development.
- Reflective practice
Promoting Physiological Birth
14 February to 01 April 2022
Course Coordinator: Lorna Davies
The aim of this course is to enhance midwives’ understanding of the physiology of childbirth and the impact of interventions to this process. Midwives will critically analyse evidence underpinning practices that support physiological childbirth and will identify strategies which positively influence physiological childbirth in their own practice.
Indicative content:
- Physiology of childbirth
- Research and the woman’s experience of childbirth
- Choice of place of birth
- Water and childbirth
- Intervention in childbirth
- Childbirth in New Zealand; statistics and trends
- Midwifery practice and physiological childbirth
- The context of maternity care and its impact on physiological childbirth
- Facilitating physiological childbirth
Working with Tangata Whenua: Building Equity in Maternity Care
14 February to 01 April 2022
Course Coordinator: Jade Wratten
This course aims to assist midwives to examine issues of equity within the provision of maternity care. The course allows advanced exploration of health disparities and racism within maternity care in Aotearoa – focusing on Māori.
A range of evidence will be explored which links outcomes of maternity care to the ability of women and families to equitably access and engage with care, and strategies to promote improved equity in care provision will be explored, including enhancing the application of Turanga Kaupapa in midwifery practice.
Indicative content:
- Tūranga Kaupapa – effective application of principles in daily practice
- Examination of current literature exploring equity issues in maternity
- Personal reflection about responses to equity issues in midwifery
- Understanding racism, and how it might contribute to inequity
- Understanding bias: implicit, explicit and affinity bias
- Māori health models, tuakana teina relationships
- Positive actions to address inequity – Wai 2575
- Te reo for midwifery practice
Queering Midwifery: Sexuality, Gender and Sex Characteristic Diversity
26 April to 10 June 2022
Course Coordinator: George Parker
The purpose of this course is to support midwives to provide culturally safe midwifery care to people across the spectrum of diverse sexualities, gender identities, and sex characteristics (e.g. intersex people).
The course takes a norm critical approach, supporting learners to recognise and question the norms about sexuality, gender identity, and sexed bodies, that operate in maternity care and their effects on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, takatāpui, intersex, queer (LGBTIQ+ Takatāpui) people.
Participants will explore a range of models for understanding health inequities for LGBTIQ+ Takatāpui people and will be supported to reflect on specific practice settings and scenarios in order to develop strategies for supporting and promoting rainbow inclusion and diversity in their midwifery practice and in maternity care more generally.
Indicative content:
- The diversity of family formation and conception methods including access to fertility care for LGBTIQ+ Takatāpui people and DIY conception methods
- Queer 101: Key concepts and terminology for understanding sexuality, gender identity, and sex characteristic (intersex) diversity
- The diversity of family formation and conception methods including access to fertility care for LGBTTIQ+ people and DIY conception methods
- Models for understanding health inequities for LGBTTIQ+ people including norm criticism, minority stress, cultural safety, and intersectionality
- Barriers and enablers to safe, quality, culturally safe maternity care for LGBTTIQ+ people including homophobia/transphobia and heteronormativity/cisnormativity
- Midwifery care for trans masculine and non-binary people
- The midwife’s role in the identification and care of intersex infants
- Strategies for promoting and supporting rainbow inclusion and diversity in midwifery practice and maternity care
Diabetes in Pregnancy
26 April to 10 June 2022
Course Coordinator: Karen Wakelin
The aim of this course is to enhance midwives’ understanding of the patho-physiology of diabetes mellitus in pregnancy. Midwives will gain a sound understanding of the physiological implications of the disorder for the childbearing woman and baby, and knowledge of current evidence informing practice. Midwives successfully completing this course will be able to use an evidence-based approach to appropriately screen for diabetes in pregnancy and participate confidently as part of a collaborative team caring for women diagnosed with diabetes mellitus in pregnancy.
Indicative content:
- Changes to metabolism and the endocrine system brought about by pregnancy
- Epidemiology of diabetes in New Zealand
- Risk factors for diabetes
- Interpreting and understanding screening tests for diabetes
- Pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Gestational diabetes
- Type 1 diabetes mellitus
- Signs and symptoms of diabetes mellitus in pregnancy
- Midwifery role in the management of diabetes in pregnancy, labour and puerperium
Perinatal Mental Health
26 April to 10 June 2022
Course Coordinator: Tricia Thompson
The aim of this course is to enhance midwives’ knowledge of perinatal mental health challenges and their impacts. With this enhanced understanding and knowledge of the current literature midwives will be able to screen for mental health and mental distress, refer appropriately, and participate confidently as part of the collaborative team caring for a woman who has been diagnosed with perinatal mental health challenges.
Indicative content:
- Health, mental health, mental distress
- Risk factors and protective factors for maternal mental health
- Midwife’s role in screening for mental health
- Barriers to psychosocial assessment and screening for maternal mental health and wellbeing
- The range of maternal mental health challenges
- Impacts of maternal mental health illness or distress
- Currently recommended collaborative management, treatments, and therapies for maternal mental ill health
- Mate Māori in relation to the causes of Māori mental health
- Resources available to women and their carers
Complexities, Culture, & Research Around Safe Sleep For Pēpi
11 July to 26 August 2022
Course Coordinator: Sally Baddock
The aim of this course is to enable learners to explore and evaluate the research underpinning safe sleep messages for pēpi and to address potential complexities that might impact discussions with wāhine and their families.
Indicative content:
- Definition of SIDS and SUDI:
- Research designs used in the investigation of SIDS/SUDI
- Strengths and weaknesses
- Risk and protective factors identified by International studies.
- Epidemiology of SUDI in New Zealand:
- interpreting and understanding results
- evidence for guidelines on childcare practices.
- Physiology of postulated SIDS mechanisms:
- hyperthermia
- rebreathing
- respiratory obstruction.
- Infant physiology – changes associated with:
- prone sleep position
- infant-adult bedsharing
- breastfeeding
- pacifier use.
- Benefits and risks associated with infant-adult bedsharing
- Cultural values and childcare practices identified as improving safe sleep for pēpe
- The midwife role
Nutrition For The Childbearing Woman
11 July to 26 August 2022
Course Coordinator: TBC
This course aims to further enhance midwives’ understanding of nutrition in pregnancy and throughout childbearing. Midwives undertaking this course will gain a sound understanding of nutrients, and of nutritional issues relevant for women and during the childbearing period. Scientific and sociological realms will both be considered. With this enhanced understanding and knowledge of current evidence, midwives successfully completing this course will be able to use an evidence-based approach to appropriately provide midwifery care to women in Aotearoa with regards to nutrition.
Indicative content:
- Women and nutrition in Aotearoa
- Macronutrients
- Micronutrients
- Metabolism
- Nutrient changes in pregnancy
- Nutritional assessment
- Communicating diet
- Food safety and food security
- Supplements including vitamin D
- Vegetarianism
- The midwives’ role in supporting women with regards to nutrition
- Obesity and gestational weight gain
- Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy
Sexual Health in Pregnancy
11 July to 26 August 2022
Course Coordinator: Tricia Thompson
This course aims to enhance midwives’ understanding of sexually transmitted and other reproductive infections in pregnancy. Midwives undertaking this course will gain a sound understanding of the physiological implications of reproductive infections for the childbearing woman and baby, and knowledge of current evidence informing practice. Midwives successfully completing this course will be able to use an evidence-based approach to screening for reproductive infections in pregnancy and if necessary, participate confidently as part of a collaborative team caring for women with a reproductive infection in pregnancy.
Indicative content:
- Reproductive and immunological systems
- Changes to these systems brought about by pregnancy
- Epidemiology of reproductive infections in New Zealand
- Risk factors for reproductive infections in pregnancy
- Screening tests for reproductive infections in pregnancy
- interpreting and understanding clinical tests
- evidence for screening approaches
- Pathophysiology of the following reproductive infections
- Trichomonas vaginalis
- Bacterial vaginosis
- Gardnerella
- Neisseria gonorrhoea
- Trichomoniasis
- Pubic lice
- Genital herpes
- Syphilis
- Genital warts
- Chlamydia Trachomatis
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
- Signs and symptoms of reproductive infections in pregnancy
- Management of reproductive infections in pregnancy, labour and puerperium
- The midwife’s role in screening for, treating, referring, and notifying reproductive infection in pregnancy, labour and the puerperium.
Applied Anatomy and Physiology for Midwives
19 September to 04 November 2022
Course Coordinator: Sally Baddock
The aim of this course is to enable learners to explore, interpret and apply current understanding of anatomy and physiology as it relates to midwifery practice.
Indicative content:
- key concepts relating to the physiology of conception and implantation, placental development and function, embryological and fetal development;
- maternal physiological changes in pregnancy, labour & birth, the puerperium and lactation and the hormonal regulation of these changes;
- neonatal physiological adaptations to the extrauterine environment;
- pathophysiology of complications of pregnancy, labour & birth and/or the puerperium and the consequences for mother and baby;
- common infectious diseases and substances affecting pregnancy, labour & birth and/or the puerperium and the consequences for mother and baby.
Leadership & Change In Midwifery
19 September to 04 November 2022
Course Coordinator: Karen Wakelin
The aim of this course is to develop analytical, critical thinking and leadership skills required for midwives who are working within a dynamic environment of leadership and change management in midwifery practice and maternity service settings.
Indicative content
- Overview of change management theory and practice.
- Analysis and development of midwifery leadership roles; being a leader.
- Critique of key initiators of organisational and midwifery practice change/development including government agencies and professional bodies.
- Analysis of economic drivers in service development and strategies for economic risk management.
- Analysis and development of negotiation skills for financial planning and development.
- Policy influences and legal accountability in midwifery service development and management.
- Frameworks for implementing organisational/practice analysis, service development initiatives and service/practice evaluation.
- The enactment of leadership.
Midwifery Practice in Rural & Primary Maternity Settings
19 September to 04 November 2022
Course Coordinator: Emma Bilous
The aim of this course is to enhance the capacity of midwives to work in a global context. Students will explore the different roles of longer-term strategic development of global midwifery capacity through education programmes and regulation; and the shorter term global midwifery response during disasters and emergency contexts.
Indicative content
- The content of this course develops on and builds from the content of the prerequisite course, Global Midwifery and Safe Motherhood.
- Analysis of the legislation and regulation of midwifery that makes safe motherhood possible.
- Effective programmes to prepare midwife teachers.
- Appropriate midwifery curriculum and syllabus for safe motherhood.
- Educational programmes to strengthen midwives’ ability to manage midwifery emergencies.
- Standards and midwifery competencies to improve midwifery practice.
- Monitoring and assessment for continued competency for midwifery practice.
- Developing midwifery capacity for the promotion of maternal and new-born health and wellbeing.
- Exploration of the role of midwives during disasters and humanitarian emergencies.
- Professional and personal skills required to work in global midwifery contexts, and how to develop those skills.
Pathway to Thesis: Midwifery Knowledge*
14 February to 10 June 2022
Course Coordinator: Lorna Davies
This course aims to identify and explore the discipline-specific knowledge base of midwifery. Through a critical historical analysis of midwifery literature and practices students will explore the ways in which knowledge informs practice, the ways in which knowledge is generated and the implications this has for the future of the profession.
A strong emphasis will be on examination of the unique contribution New Zealand midwifery is making to the knowledge base of midwifery worldwide. This includes critique of the social, political, cultural and organisational constraints and opportunities that influence the development of midwifery in Aotearoa New Zealand and the ways in which the competing discourses of midwifery and obstetrics are being played out.
Indicative content:
- Exploration of the ontological and epistemological foundations and assumptions of empiricism, interpretivism, feminism, poststructuralism and other critical traditions, and non-western and indigenous epistemologies
- Midwifery knowledge development, past and present; the historical, socio-political and cultural contexts of knowledge generation
- Theory development in midwifery and its relationship with practice
- Frameworks for midwifery practice; application of theory to practice
- The development of midwifery as a profession in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally
- Competing knowledge paradigms, midwifery and medicine and the impact on women's experiences of childbirth and midwifery practice
- Aotearoa New Zealand midwifery’s contribution to the discipline; midwifery as a relationship; midwives and women in partnership; autonomy and its impact on women's experiences and childbirth outcomes; developing practice wisdom
- Midwifery knowledge generation – the way forward
Pathway to Thesis: Midwifery Research Methodologies*
11 July to 04 November 2022
Course Coordinator: Suzanne Miller
This course is available to Registered Midwives undertaking the Postgraduate Diploma, as a prelude to Masters level study. It is a 30 credit course which equates to approximately 300 study hours.
The purpose of this course is to provide participants with an opportunity to gain an understanding of various methodological approaches, research methods and the research process including consideration of ethical, cultural, and budgetary issues.
Participants will be supported to develop a research proposal which demonstrates congruency between research question, aims, methodology and methods, and meets the ethical and cultural requirements of the New Zealand research context.
Indicative content:
- Advanced skills to critique research reports, articles and presentations which include appraisal and evaluation in terms of the knowledge paradigm they draw on, and the relevance for midwifery practice
- In-depth examination of different research methodologies and the associated issues and strategies surrounding the quality and status of research studies and the knowledge claims that can be made
- Debate on the complexities of ethical considerations which relate to different research approaches and contexts
- Identification of practice-based research questions which are guided by critical analysis and relevant research literature
- Development of a research proposal for a practice-based research question which includes a justified choice of methodology
- Evaluation of the role of midwifery research and theory in the provision of quality health services within the socio-cultural context of Aotearoa New Zealand
- Critical reflection on the role of inquiry/research approaches for personal practice, professional judgement, and the future of the midwifery profession
Midwifery Assessment and Decision Making for Complexity
14 February to 10 June 2022
Course Coordinator: Kerry Adams
To provide the opportunity for midwives to research skills in assessment and monitoring for women and their babies, when a woman is experiencing illness or alteration to the normal physiology of childbirth.
Indicative content:
- Knowledge of monitoring, assessment and management skills for areas of complexity in childbearing.
- Directed and self-directed learning of the treatment and management of disease processes impacting on pregnancy, childbearing and the puerperium including assessment, diagnosis, interventions and on-going monitoring.
- Discussion of strategies to maintain a ‘woman focus’, and advocating role for women experiencing complex health challenges in childbirth.
Midwifery Practicum for Complexity
11 July to 04 November 2022
Course Coordinator: Carolyn McIntosh
To provide the opportunity for midwives to research skills in assessment and monitoring for women and their babies, when a woman is experiencing illness or alteration to the normal physiology of childbirth. This course contains a 100 hour practicum, which is funded for your locum (if you are an LMC) or for backfill at your facility (if you are a core midwife).
Indicative content:
- Reflect, analyse and develop personal learning pathway and outcomes to be achieved negotiated in a learning contract
- Participate in practice placement(s) where the midwife can learn the practical skills of diagnosis, treatment, management, and on-going monitoring, for the particular area of complexity or disease processes impacting on pregnancy, childbearing and the puerperium selected for study.
- Reflect on learning achieved during placements with reference to the midwife’s personal practice environment.
