Svenska Barnmorskeförbundets kickoff av Barnmorskans år 2020 #YearoftheMidwife #Midwives2020
Academia’s work on capacity building, midwifery education and research nationally and globally
Distinguished guests,
The universities play a role in achieving a sustainable future in education and research. In daily operations, this is related to leadership and financial demands.
The sustainability of a well-educated midwifery workforce depends on how well these demands are met at respective university. Around the globe improvements are required at the universities to move the quality of the midwifery workforce forward. One way to improve the skills of the midwifery workforce is to improve the educators’ pedagogical, scientific and leadership skills.
Swedish midwifery educators have a long tradition of high pedagogical, scientific and leadership competence. Moreover, the Nordic countries are at the top globally to reduce maternal and child morbidity and mortality. This is achieved by well-educated midwives working to their full professional potential in interdisciplinary teams with gynecologists and obstetricians.
Swedish midwives use their full professional potential in working with youth, childbearing and elderly women. They work with all areas of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), such as Care during pregnancy, Childbirths, Postpartum.
They also work with Post abortion and Abortion care and with Family planning.
This is the Swedish model of Midwery care
The Swedish model of midwifery care is successful because the Swedish midwives use their full professional potential and they work in interdisciplinary teams.
The Swedish model of midwifery education and care is an important part of Swedish “export” to for example countries such as Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Being an academic Swedish university means having an academic freedom. That is why the Swedish universities can adapt to development work in various countries.
Swedish midwifery educators are proud of the initiatives of the Swedish government.
The Swedish Development Agency, (Sida), and the United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA) have provided Swedish midwifery educators with the opportunity to strengthen universities and educators in midwifery globally. With financial support from the Swedish embassy in countries such as Bangladesh and Congo about 120 midwifery educators have recently been provided with a Swedish master degree.
The Swedish academia can strengthen midwifery education sites globally with educators knowledgeable in pedagogy, research and leadership skills.
The quality of the midwifery education has been improved through; Curricula revision, Gap analysis, Suggestions for quality improvements, Mentorship programmes and Simulation based learning.
Critical and reflective thinking have been emphasized throughout. Scientific publications on identified barriers have guided the work forward. The mix of net based and on site education has shown to be feasible and acceptable among the midwifery educators.
The initiative of utilizing Swedish midwifery educators in Unfpa positions and Universities in Implementing Partner IP agreements with Unfpa, this have in turn provided the Swedish educators and universities with an understanding of the importance of global engagement, for a sustainable future of midwifery education in Sweden and globally.
In 2020 the Swedish midwifery educators will continue to capacity build universities globally to educate a competent midwifery workforce saving lives of mothers and newborns. In this way, we wish to celebrate the year of the nurse and the midwife 2020.
Short message
The Swedish academia can strengthen midwifery education sites globally with educators knowledgeable in pedagogy, research and leadership skills.
