DEFINITION

” A midwife is a person who has successfully completed a midwifery education programme that is duly recognized in the country where it is located and that is based on the ICM Essential Competencies for Basic Midwifery practice and the framework of the ICM Global Standards for Midwifery Education; who has acquired and/or legal licensed to practice midwifery and the use the title ‘midwife’; and who demonstrates competency in the practice of midwifery.”

Adopted by the International Confederation of Midwives 19 July 2005

A midwife is a person who, having been regularly admitted to a midwifery educational programme, duly recognized in the country in which it is located, has successfully completed the prescribed course of studies in midwifery and has acquired the requisite qualifications to be registered and/or legally licensed to practice midwifery.

The midwife is recognized as a responsible and accountable professional who works in partnership with women to give the necessary support, care and advice during pregnancy, labour and the postpartum period, to conduct births on the midwife’s own responsibility and to provide care for the newborn and the
infant. This care includes preventive measures, the promotion of normal birth, the detection of complications in mother and child, the accessing of
medical or other appropriate assistance and the carrying out of emergency measures.

The midwife has an important task in health counseling and education, not only for the woman, but also within the family and community. This work should involve antenatal education and preparation for parenthood and may extend to women’s health, sexual or reproductive health and childcare.

A midwife may practice in any setting including in the home, the community, hospitals, clinics or health units.

A direct-entry midwife is an independent practitioner educated in the discipline of midwifery through self-study, apprenticeship, a midwifery school, or a college- or university-based program distinct from the discipline of nursing. A direct-entry midwife is trained to provide the Midwives Model of Care to healthy women and newborns throughout the childbearing cycle primarily in out-of-hospital settings.

The purpose of the International Confederation of Midwives is to advance worldwide the aims and aspirations of midwives in the attainment of improved outcomes for women in their childbearing years, their newborns, and their families wherever they reside.

Midwives Model of Care™
The Midwives Model of Care™ is based on the fact that pregnancy and birth are normal life events. The Midwives Model of Care includes:

• monitoring the physical, psychological and social well-being of the mother throughout the childbearing cycle
• providing the mother with individualized education, counseling, and prenatal care, continuous hands-on assistance during labor and delivery, and postpartum support
• minimizing technological interventions and
• identifying and referring women who require obstetrical attention

The application of this model has been proven to reduce to incidence of birth injury, trauma, and cesarean section.

The Midwives Model of Care definition above is Copyright © 1996-2001, Midwifery Task Force, All Rights Reserved.

A person who instructs, supervises and/or assesses the clinical skills and knowledge of a student throughout the process of meeting the specific knowledge, skills and experience goals required to fulfil professional standards. Preceptor-based education offers the student one-on-one instruction, close supervision of clinical experience and on-the-spot evaluation. States, Provinces or organizations may have specific requirements to qualify as a preceptor.