A team of midwifery educators lead the development of a full education calendar for Waikato DHB midwives. A more recent addition to the team is Lucy, a state-of-the art mannequin (realistic wireless childbirth simulator) specifically designed to assist with training on all stages of delivery and on rare emergency scenarios.
We employ more than 90 midwives, who provide full midwifery care across the scope of practice; they also provide support to lead maternity carers and specialist obstetric services. Career opportunities are available for experienced midwives looking for a new challenge and for graduate midwives looking to build experience.
Waikato DHB offers a full range of birthing options, from primary care birthing units to women presenting with complications in pregnancy requiring our specialised high dependency unit.
Waikato DHB offers a comprehensive range of clinical education opportunities for its midwives, including epidurals, gestational diabetes, smokefree and pharmacotherapy, resuscitation, and delivery and emergency scenario training including working as part of multi-disciplinary teams.
Women’s Health Service education timetable for 2018 [PDF, 4.7 MB]
As a health provider in an district with 21 per cent of people identifying as Māori (compared to 16 per cent total New Zealand), we have a specific commitment to cultural support for Māori and Pasifika midwives, and for all midwives to deliver culturally appropriate care.
Our cultural support team provides support for Maori and Pasifika students, new graduates and existing midwives. Read more about the team here
These are held four times a year across the Waikato DHB district, bringing together Waikato DHB midwives and Lead Maternity Carers (LMCs) in meetings that focus on information sharing, professional support and education.
PROMPT involves midwives, emergency department nurses, medical ward nurses, hospital doctors and often local GPs and paramedics learning to work together in emergency scenarios. Given the wide geographical area covered by Waikato DHB, this training is vitally important to handle situations in rural and remote areas.
Quality Leadership Programme for Midwives is a nation professional development and career planning framework which Waikato DHB strongly supports. The QLP is also designed to recognise and reward midwives for their individual domain of practice and their contribution to their service.
The Pebbles programme is a professional development programme for clinically-based registered health professionals provided by the Waikato DHB. Read more