ACMI competency standards for midwives--what they mean for your practice

The development of national competency standards for the midwife in Australia

OBJECTIVE

to develop and validate national competency standards for midwives in Australia. This study was part of a commissioned national research project to articulate the scope of practice of Australian midwives and to develop national competency standards to assist midwives to deliver safe and competent midwifery care.

DESIGN

a multi-method, staged approach was used to collect data through a literature review, workshop consultations, interviews, surveys and written submissions in order to develop national competency standards for Australian midwives. Subsequently, direct observation of practice in a range of settings ensured validation of the competencies.

SETTING

maternity-care settings in each state and territory in Australia.

PARTICIPANTS

midwives, other health professionals and consumers of midwifery care.

FINDINGS

The national competency standards for the midwife were developed through research and consultation before being validated in practice.

KEY CONCLUSIONS

the national competency standards are currently being implemented into education, regulation and practice in Australia. These will be minimum competency standards required of all midwives who seek authority to practise as a midwife in Australia. It is expected that all midwives will demonstrate that they are able to meet the competency standards relevant to the position they hold.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

the competency standards establish a national standard for midwives and reinforce responsibility and accountability in the provision of quality midwifery care through safe and effective practice. In addition, individual midwives may use the competency standards as the basis of their ongoing professional development plans.

The International Confederation of Midwives' study of essential competencies of midwifery practice

OBJECTIVE

To delineate the knowledge, skills, and behaviours that would characterise the domain of competencies of the midwife who is educated according to the international definition of the profession.

DESIGN

Phase I: a qualitative Delphi study; Phase II: a descriptive survey research process.

PARTICIPANTS

A stratified random sample of member organisations of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) and regulatory representatives from these same countries.

FINDINGS

A list of basic (essential) and additional competencies for midwives who have been educated in keeping with the ICM/WHO/FIGO international definition of the midwife was developed through an interative Delphi process, and then affirmed, using a survey research method. The final list includes 214 individual task statements within six domains of midwifery practice.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

This list of competencies can serve as a basis for educational curriculum design, as a guideline for regulatory policy development, as a reference document for individual practitioners in an assessment of their initial and continued competency and by the ICM and its member associations as a resource for advocating for the role of midwifery within health-care systems world-wide.