Abstract
Background
Tertiary level midwifery educational pathways to achieve registration as a midwife
vary in Australia, with a shift from the hospital to the university sector more than
20 years ago. These pathways are often referred to in the workforce setting to distinguish
midwives with different academic backgrounds.
Aim
To discuss the genesis of midwifery education in the Australian setting and explore
the impact of the language used to describe the educational backgrounds on the professional
identity of midwives.
Discussion
Strong tertiary and regulatory governance exists to support the robust development
of midwifery educational programmes and to ensure a high-quality, woman-centred workforce.
Once registered, all midwives have the same skill set to provide care to women and
families. However, separatist language is often used to describe midwives according
to their educational background which has a propensity to reduce positive midwifery
identity and influence continuing workforce attrition rates.
Conclusion
Positive expression of midwifery identity, using a strength discourse and an inclusive
workforce have the ability to strengthen job satisfaction and intention to remain
in the profession. Midwifery education can occur through several pathways; however
once registered, all midwives are equal.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 10, 2022
Accepted:
November 30,
2022
Received in revised form:
November 2,
2022
Received:
August 26,
2022
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofIdentification
Copyright
© 2022 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
