South West midwifery students and pregnant women are set to benefit from a new initiative which will provide accessible, bulk-billed pregnancy and postnatal appointments for more than 100 women each year.
On Tuesday, Edith Cowan University officially launched its new Midwifery Student-led Clinic at Bunbury’s Milligan Community Centre.
Bunbury resident Ruby Anderson, who is in her second pregnancy, said the clinic would be important for the community.
“I’ve had midwives with my first pregnancy, and with this pregnancy and the idea that they’ll be more accessible ... is really exciting,” she said.
“I think it’s going to be really good for the women in the South West because it is hard to find different facilities that offer midwife care and is more accessible for everyone.”
The clinic will open every Tuesday and Thursday between 9am and 5pm. Appointments will be a minimum of 60 minutes and provide antenatal and postnatal care.
ECU executive dean for the School of Nursing and Midwifery Professor Karen Strickland said the clinic was “incredibly important” for regional areas such as Bunbury, for choice and to improve access.
“There is that need for accessible care that is less clinical looking to reduce fear, reduce barriers to access care and also supporting culturally safe care,” she said.
While a registered, experienced midwife would always be at the centre, Professor Strickland said the student-led clinic would allow students to gradually take on more responsibility as they finished their degree.
“By the time they qualify and become registered midwives, they’re used to being able to think critically, make clinical decisions with the women and provide that care so that they’re really ready to become autonomous registered midwives when they graduate,” she said.
Professor Strickland said the midwives would always work in partnership with other service providers, while she anticipated the service would grow and look to be replicated in other regional areas.
ECU midwifery lecturer and Midwifery Student-led Clinic project lead Kieran Kenny said the project marked the first regional midwifery student-led clinic in Australia and was an important step in creating quality and equity across metro and regional areas.
“It’s very hard to attract a workforce to a regional area,” she said.
“So we need to grow our own. You can’t be what you can’t see.”
Ms Kenny said the project helped to address the barriers students said they faced when trying to gain the clinical experience needed to be a midwife.
“For students, I really hope it supports them to consolidate and grow as midwives and that they actually learn the value of community-based primary attendant care,” she said.
“It’s such a privilege to be invited into people’s communities.”
Speaking at the launch, Milligan people and places lead Crystal Mather said the partnership was set to showcase a “beautiful example” of what could happen when organisations united over a shared purpose and combined their skills, knowledge and strengths.
“ECU brings incredible midwifery expertise and the opportunity to support the next generation of midwives,” she said.
“Milligan brings a community space where relationships are built, people feel welcome and practical support and connections are close at hand.”
Third-year nursing and midwifery student Kassidy Lewis said the clinic would be amazing for South West students, giving students an opportunity to work with women throughout their pregnancy, an experience which had been hard to access through the hospitals and other services.
“It’s just an amazing community-based continuity program,” she said.
“So you get to know us, you get longer appointments, which is amazing because then we get to learn about you.”
Contact and booking details can be found online through ECU’s website.
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