Recertification and Registration Competence Programme for New Zealand Midwives and Overseas Midwives

You will study

Otago Polytechnic offers four courses approved by the Midwifery Council as part of the registration competence programme and recertification programme.

Our School of Midwifery is internationally-acclaimed and offers excellent midwifery education at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. We provide a supportive and high quality education, delivered flexibly to suit your personal circumstances, which expresses our passion and commitment to midwifery.

NEW ZEALAND MATERNITY AND MIDWIFERY SYSTEMS

The New Zealand maternity service provides a woman-centred individual service for women and their families. Midwives are the main maternity providers. Almost 80% of women have a midwife as their lead carer.

This course introduces overseas qualified midwives to midwifery practice in New Zealand. Midwives in New Zealand work in partnership with women throughout the childbirth experience.

Gain the professional and legal knowledge and skills essential for practice in New Zealand. If you are a New Zealand midwife wanting to update your knowledge, you may enrol in this course and will receive elective education points. If you are completing this course as part of an overseas midwife competence programme you will receive no elective education points.

Competencies for Entry to the Register

Successful completion of this course will contribute to your knowledge with regard to the following Competencies for Entry to the Register: 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.11, 2.16, 2.17, 2.19, 3.7, 4.4, 4.5, 4.7, 4.9, 4.11

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

1. Discuss the role of midwives within the New Zealand maternity service and their scope of practice.
2. Briefly discuss the history of New Zealand midwifery and maternity services particularly in relation to midwifery partnership and autonomy.
3. Describe the structure and funding of New Zealand maternity systems and relationship of funding to service provision.
4. Explain the difference between regulatory and professional frameworks and their application to midwifery practice.
5. Summarise key legislation that affects midwives in New Zealand.
6. Explain the principles of midwifery partnership and how these may be integrated into practice.

Final assessment pass mark: At least 80%

PHARMACOLOGY AND PRESCRIBING FOR MIDWIVES

This course identifies that the midwife regardless of her workplace is an autonomous practitioner in the provision of primary midwifery care. In this role, midwives are legally allowed to prescribe and administer medications to women and neonates during the normal birth experience; this usually involves care in the antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal period.

Gain comprehensive knowledge of the issues surrounding prescribing, and the use and administration of, medication within normal childbirth. Explore the pharmacological aspects of drugs commonly prescribed by midwives. If you are already a New Zealand registered midwife, you can complete this course as an update for your practice in relation to pharmacology and midwifery prescribing.

Competencies for Entry to the Register

Successful completion of this course will contribute to your knowledge with regard to the following Competencies for Entry to the Register: 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.13, 2.14, 2.15, 2.17, 4.3.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the legislation and legal parameters of midwifery prescribing, administration and use of medicines/drugs within pregnancy and childbirth.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of pharmacological principles including physiological changes during pregnancy and postpartum.
3. Demonstrate an ability to write prescriptions that comply with the requirements of the Medicines Regulations (1984), the Maternity Notice (2007), the Pharmaceutical Schedule and are the correct prescription for the identified condition.
4. Demonstrate assessment, diagnosis and prescribing when appropriate for women and/or baby within the midwifery scope of practice.
5. Integrate current research evidence in relation to the use of drugs in pregnancy, childbirth, the puerperium, lactation and the neonate.
6. Review the use of antimicrobials in relation to childbirth and the midwife's role in minimizing antimicrobial resistance.

Final assessment pass mark: At least 90%

CULTURAL COMPETENCE FOR MIDWIVES

This course is designed to provide overseas qualified midwives with the knowledge and skills required to achieve the competencies for entry to the Register of Midwives that pertain to cultural competence.

A culturally competent midwife will draw on the frameworks of Midwifery Partnership, Cultural Safety and Turanga Kaupapa in order to enhance her relationships with each woman and her family. Midwives identify that different elements of culture exist side by side and therefore, at any one time, one aspect may be more important than another for the woman. It is the woman who determines if the midwife is culturally safe in her midwifery practice. Being culturally competent means that the midwife identifies, acknowledges and incorporates the woman's cultures into the provision of individualised care.

The Midwifery Council acknowledges that cultural competence is a requirement for each midwife entering the profession and cultural competence is embedded within the Competencies for Entry to the Register of Midwives.

Competencies for Entry to the Register

Successful completion of this course will contribute to your knowledge with regard to the following Competencies for Entry to the Register: 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.7, 1.9, 2.15, 3.3, 4.1, 4.9, 4.11.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

1. Demonstrate understanding of Midwifery Partnership, Cultural Safety and Turanga Kaupapa and their application to midwifery practice and professionalism.
2. Explain and analyse the significance of power relationships in midwifery and the implications for practice.
3. Discuss the implications of Midwifery Partnership and Cultural Competence for professionalism.
   

Final assessment pass mark: At least 80%

EXAMINATION OF THE NEWBORN FOR MIDWIVES

This course is designed to provide overseas qualified midwives with the knowledge and skills required to achieve the Competencies for Entry to the Register of Midwives that pertain to Examination of the Newborn.

The New Zealand maternity system is designed to provide a woman-centred individual service for women and their infants. Midwives are required to be competent in newborn examination and are responsible for assessing and examining each infant for which they are providing care.

Gain the knowledge and skills essential for such practice in New Zealand. A separate demonstration of practical competence is required.

Competencies for Entry to the Register

Successful completion of this course will contribute to your knowledge with regard to the following Competencies for Entry to the Register: 2.9 and 2.10.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of fetal and neonatal physiology and the transitional events in the early neonatal period.
2. Describe how to undertake a comprehensive physical assessment of the infant at birth and other decision points in the postnatal period.
3. Identify variations of normality, abnormal findings and discuss.
4. Discuss the assessment of infant well-being and how to recognise a sick baby.
5. Describe your role with regard to professional standards, competencies and legal issues with regard to care of the newborn.
   

Final assessment pass mark: At least 80% and five clinical assessments that meet the competency standard.

Return to practice

Integrated short course - Complicated Childbirth

This course has been designed to provide those midwives who have taken a break of more than eight years from practise with the knowledge and skills required to achieve the Competencies for Entry to the Register of Midwives that pertain to complications experienced by women during pregnancy, birth and in the postnatal period. The New Zealand maternity system is designed to provide a woman-centred individual service for women and their infants. Midwives are required to be competent to provide care in consultation with other practitioners where pregnancy, birth or the puerperium deviates from normal.  The aim of this course is to provide those midwives who have taken a break from practice with the knowledge and skills essential for practise in modern New Zealand. This course provides one component of the Return to Practice programme. 

Further study options

Postgraduate programmes

Our postgraduate programmes are flexible, practice-focused and relevant. We will design a programme to meet your individual needs and our online learning and seminar options mean that you can choose a delivery mode to suit your circumstances. You can start slowly in the Postgraduate Certificate and increase your qualifications as you go. Each programme contributes to the next so that four papers in the Certificate mean you only need four more for the Diploma. You do not need a previous degree to enter these programmes and current students have identified the support from lecturers and opportunities for networking while gaining new knowledge and skills as some of the benefits of these programmes. Each postgraduate paper will give you 40 points of elective continuing education in the Midwifery Council's Recertification Programme.

Clinical Update: Online Professional Development

These online updates enable you to examine a clinically-focused research article and explore its application to practice. Successful completion gives you one elective education point with the Midwifery Council of New Zealand.

Topics include:

• Second stage of labour
• Carpal tunnel syndrome, lower back and pelvic pain in pregnancy
• Anaemia
• Mastitis
• Bed-sharing with babies
• Counselling women with unintended pregnancies
• Assessing labour progress
• Screening for Down Syndrome.

Once you have read the article and completed an online quiz with more than 80% correct answers, you will automatically receive a certificate of completion from Otago Polytechnic.

How to get started

To access the course material you just need to follow these simple steps:

1. You will need to create an account in Moodle - our online student learning platform. Head to https://moodle.op.ac.nz/login/signup.php. If you've previously studied one of our courses on Moodle, then skip these set-up steps and go straight to step 3. 

2. Once you have completed the steps on the Moodle signup page, please check your email. You will receive an email about your request for a Moodle account and will be asked to follow a link to confirm your registration.

3. Once you have confirmed your Moodle registration, you'll be taken to your Moodle dashboard. Once you have enrolled in any course, it will appear on your dashboard.

4. Please note that when logging in again, you'll need to click on the ‘Other Users’ button on the right-hand side, not the ‘Staff and Students’ button.

5. Enrol yourself into the following courses. Click on the links below, then click on ‘Enrol me’:

• Pharmacology and Prescribing
• Cultural Competence
• Examination of the Newborn
• New Zealand Maternity and Midwifery Systems
• Integrated Short Course Complicated Childbirth

6. Start working through the modules.

7. If you have any technical issues with Moodle, please contact our IT support on 0800 POLY IT (0800 765 948) or email servicedesk@op.ac.nz 

To complete the course, you will need to enrol with Otago Polytechnic:

1. Once you have completed most of the modules, and anticipate that you will be ready to complete the final course assessment in the next week or two, it will be time to formally enrol with Otago Polytechnic. You will not be able to access the final assessment or Certificate of Completion until you have enrolled and paid the course fee.
2. Apply online at https://www.op.ac.nz/apply. You are required to provide a certified copy of your Birth Certificate or Passport. If your name differs from that on your Birth Certificate or Passport, you must also include a certified copy/copies of your Marriage Certificate, Civil Union Certificate or Statutory Declaration Form.
3. Once you have enrolled and paid for the course (see below), you will be issued with a receipt and a password which will enable you to access the final assessment, and, if successful, obtain your Certificate directly from Moodle.
4. Please note: once you have enrolled with Otago Polytechnic there is a refund period of three weeks. If you choose to withdraw from the course more than three weeks after enrolling you will not be eligible for a refund.
5. Additionally, once you have formally enrolled you have three months (six months for Pharmacology) in which to complete the course. If you do not complete the course within this timeframe you will need to enrol with Otago Polytechnic again and pay the course fee again in order to access to the final course assessment and certificate of completion. We recommend enrolling and paying for one course at a time to avoid missing the completion timeframe.
6. If you have enrolment issues, please email ebsmid@op.ac.nz or call our Contact Centre on 0800 762 786 and ask to be transferred to the School of Midwifery.

Forth Street, Private Bag 1910
Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
Freephone 0800 762 786
Phone + 64 3 477 3014
info@op.ac.nz