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.

For midwives
For midwives
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.
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.
Midwifery Standards Review (MSR) is a unique quality assurance process developed by the New Zealand College of Midwives to reflect the partnership model of midwifery practice. MSR is a professional development process that supports midwives to reflect on their individual midwifery practice in a formal manner, with the assistance of specially educated reviewers. Midwives work with the reviewers to reflect on their midwifery practice and identify a professional development plan.
Midwifery Standards Review is designed to help the midwife to:
- maintain professional standards of practice
- Reflect on the partnership between women and midwives throughout the childbirth experience using the feedback received from women. Consumer feedback forms provide women with the opportunity to provide feedback on the care they received. The midwife and her reviewers use this information during her review.
- Reflect on her work using the College Standards for Practice and Turanga Kaupapa as the accepted guiding principles of midwifery care in New Zealand
- Demonstrate her commitment to ongoing professional development and accountability
- Examine her practice with midwifery peers and consumers of midwifery services.
The College has produced a booklet ‘Midwifery Standards Review Handbook’ to assist and guide midwives through the review process. The Midwifery Standards review booklets are available to order through the College shop
Please note that the Waikato DHB is funding your review. Therefore should you withdraw from the scheduled date for any reason without giving NZCOM enough notice to reschedule there reviewers , then you are responsible to fund the cancellation fee and reschedule.
Contact information
If you are a Waikato hospital midwife, the local statistics you need in addition to the documentation from the College, can be obtained from the women’s health educators. If you are employed in a rural facility, you require the statistics from your local unit or if you are a caseload midwife, you need to have your own data.
Need help or guidance with obtaining hospital statistics or to guide you in preparing your portfolio
Contact your Midwifery educator at womenshealtheducators@waikatodhb.health.nz
Or
Visit her in person – office Level B3, Elizabeth Rothwell building
Documents
- MSR application form [PDF, 169 KB]- send directly to nzcom - admin@nzcom.org.nz
- Consumer feedback
- National statistics and clinical indicators
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.
- Midwives are able to progress through domains of practice by preparing and submitting a portfolio to demonstrate how they meet the general requirements for a specific QLP domain of practice.
- Midwives employed by Waikato DHB can find details on the staff intranet.
The Pebbles programme is a professional development programme for clinically-based registered health professionals provided by the Waikato DHB. Read more
Women's Health Education Calendar 2021
Improve your knowledge of women’s health with the most up to date knowledge required to ensure best practise. Each 4 hr session will cover a variety of interesting topics and the full day is a simulation type activity.
Presented by | Nurse educator, Women's Health |
Time | |
Location | TBD |
Cost | Free |
Dates | Friday 26 February - 2 x 4hr sessions Friday 7 May - 2 x 4hr sessions Friday 23 July - full day session Friday 24 September - 2 x 4hr sessions |
How to book |
Core staff: Request via Education Planner and email to CMM/CNM |
This exciting interactive workshop will provide midwives and doctors with an opportunity to explore and improve knowledge and practise around assisted birth and breech deliveries
- Latest evidence and update on WDHB initiatives and processes
- Discuss and share midwifery and medical knowledge
- Hands on skills
Presented by | O & G consultant and Midwifery educator |
Time |
Full day session (0800 - 1600) |
Location | ERB - Level 9 Auditorium |
Cost | Free |
Date | Tuesday 31 August 2021 |
How to book |
Midwives: Request via Education Planner and email to CMM |
Breastfeeding Education 2021
For midwives and nurses
Presented by | Lactation consultants |
Time | AM session: 0715 - 1100 PM session: 1145 - 1530 |
Location | Library, Waiora Waikato Hospital Campus |
Cost | Free |
Dates |
Thursday 18 February |
How to book |
Core staff: Request via Education Planner and email to CMM |
Breastfeeding Education 2021
For midwives and nurses
Presented by | Lactation consultants |
Time | 12.30pm to 4.30pm |
Location | Library, Waiora Waikato Hospital Campus |
Cost | Free |
Dates | Tuesday 2 February Monday 1 March Monday 29 March Monday 19 April Monday 17 May Monday 21 June Monday 12 July Monday 16 August Monday 20 September Tuesday 26 October Monday 22 November Monday 13 December |
How to book |
Core staff: Request via Education Planner and email to CMM |
Breastfeeding Education 2021
For midwives and nurses
Presented by | Lactation consultants |
Time | AM session: 0715 to 1100 PM session: 1145 to 1530 |
Location | TBA |
Cost | Free |
Dates | TBA |
How to book |
Core staff: Request via Education Planner and email to CMM |
This informative workshop will provide Midwives and Nurses up to date information, regarding care for a woman with diabetes and her journey through Waikato DHB.
- Gain understanding of the implication of diabetes in pregnancy, labour and postnatal for mother and baby.
- Understand the protocols and applicable scenarios.
- Gain understanding in the different types of insulin and equipment used in diabetes
- Dietary advice
Presented by | Diabetes in Pregnancy specialist team |
Time | 0845 - 1600 |
Location | Waiora Building |
Cost | Free |
Date | Thursday 25 February Thursday 20 May Tuesday 14 September Thursday 25 November |
How to book |
Midwives: Request via Education Planner and email to CMM |
The FSEP Full program runs for 8 hours and provides a solid foundation of information for all clinicians involved in antenatal and intrapartum care. The full programme is structured to cumulatively build understanding. Participants in the full programme also complete the FSEP MCQ assessment at the end of the session. This is core education programme and is suited to most clinicians requiring education or an update in cardiotocography.
- The utero-placental unit, fetal heart rate control and basic fetal assessment
- The normal CTG, who to monitor and an introduction to the abnormal CTG
- The abnormal CTG focusing on decelerations, interpretation and management
- CTG workshop
- 60 MCQ assessment
Presented by | RANZCOG educator |
Time | Full day session (0800 - 1530) |
Location | Elizabeth Rothwell Building, Level 9 Auditorium |
Cost | $175 for non DHB staff |
Dates | Wednesday 7 April Wednesday 28 July Wednesday 10 November |
How to book |
Core Midwives: Request via Education Planner and email to CMM |
It is an annual recertification requirement of the Midwifery Council that all practicing midwives must keep up with the latest knowledge, developments and theories when it comes to birthing emergency procedures.
All practicing midwives must complete this course on an annual basis to stay registered.
Course content
- Maternal and newborn resuscitation and PPH
- At least two of the following - childbirth emergencies, shoulder dystocia, cord prolapse, sepsis, uterine rupture, breech birth.
Presented by | DHB Midwifery Educator Team |
Time | 0830 start |
Location | Waiora Level 4 - skills ward |
Cost | Free |
Dates | Wednesday 13 January Tuesday 16 February Wednesday 17 March Tuesday 13 April Tuesday 11 May Tuesday 22 June Tuesday 7 September Tuesday 19 October Tuesday 16 November Tuesday 7 December |
How to book |
Core Midwives: Request via Education Planner and email to CMM |
An 8 hr workshop filled with a variety of amazing speakers covering a diverse set of topics relating somewhat to women’s health.
Target audience - all staff involved with women's and children's health.
Facilitated by | Nurse educator |
Time | Full day (8 hours) |
Location | Level 9 Auditorium, Elizabeth Rothwell Building |
Cost | Free |
Dates | Wednesday 12 May |
How to book | Core staff use Request via Education Planner and email to CMM/CMN External staff – request by emailing WomansHealthEducation@waikatodhb.health.nz |
The New Zealand Resuscitation Council Newborn Life Support course gives healthcare professionals knowledge and skills for the standard management of a newborn collapse. The course concentrates on the importance of practical airway management - ventilatory support - circulatory support and temperature control.
Presented by | Waikato DHB NLS instructor group |
Time | Full day session (0800 - 1600) |
Location | Bryant Education Centre, Waiora Waikato Hospital Campus |
Cost | Free to core midwives and nurses. $350+gst for external participants or doctors. |
Dates | Thursday 4 February Monday 1 March Tuesday 16 March Thursday 25 March Additional dates will be released throughout the year and added in here. |
How to book |
Core Midwives/Nurses: Request via Education Planner and email to your CMM |
An exciting one-day course for midwives working in the area of the Delivery Suite HDU, using a mixture of on-line education, lectures and hands-on practicals, to assist with developing and enhancing skills, knowledge and understanding of care to the obstetric HDU patient.
Content of the Programme
- Familiarisation to HDU and use of equipment (monitors, ECG, invasive monitoring)
- Head to toe assessment, reflexes, clonus
- Oxygen therapy, airway management
- Case studies / simulation / discussion: Pre-eclampsia, PPH, sepsis, T1DM
Presented by | Midwifery educator |
Time | Full day (8 hours) |
Location | Delivery Suite |
Cost | Free |
Dates | Wednesday 30 June Thursday 28 October |
How to book | Midwives: Request via Education Planner and email to CMM |
This workshop is aimed at health and caring professionals who work with bereaved parents and families and deliver perinatal bereavement care. The course will cover the following content
- Grief models
- Attachment theory
- Communicating with bereaved parents
- Ritual and memory making
- Staff self-care
- Parents experience
Facilitated by | Midwifery educator and perinatal midwife specialist |
Time | Full day (8 hours) |
Location | Bryant Education Centre |
Cost | Free |
Dates | Wednesday 26 May Tuesday 30 November |
How to book |
Core staff use Request via Education Planner and email to CMM/CMN |
An exciting one-day multi-disciplinary course, training you to manage obstetric emergencies. The course uses a mixture of lectures and simulated emergencies set in the most realistic environment possible – your delivery suite. Gain confidence in working effectively and quickly with your colleagues during obstetric emergencies.
Content of the programme
- Teamwork
- Recognising the changing clinical picture
- Escalating and managing obstetric emergencies
Presented by | Waikato DHB PROMPT Faculty |
Time | Full day session (0845 - 1600) |
Location | Waikato Hospital Delivery Suite, Elizabeth Rothwell Building |
Cost | Free |
Dates | Tuesday 9 March Thursday 10 June Thursday 23 September Thursday 2 December |
How to book |
Midwives: Request via Education Planner and email to CMM |
An exciting one-day course for nurses working in the area of women’s health, to assist with developing knowledge and skills to care for complex postnatal women and develop the necessary skills to manage obstetric emergencies.
The course uses a mixture of on-line education, lectures and simulated emergencies.
Presented by | DHB Midwifery Educator Team |
Time | Full day session (0845 - 1600) |
Location | Waikato Hospital (TBA) |
Cost | Free |
Dates | Tuesday 2 March Tuesday 4 May Tuesday 2 November |
How to book | Request via Education Planner and email to CMM/CNM External staff email: WomensHealthEducation@waikatodhb.health.nz |
Multi-disciplinary teams learning together to support women - Midwives, St John Ambulance Service, Emergency Doctors and Registered Nurses - training to manage obstetric emergencies. The course uses a mixture of lectures and simulated emergencies set in the most realistic environment possible – your birthing unit or ED.
- Gain confidence in working effectively and quickly with your colleagues during obstetric emergencies
- Teamwork
- Recognising the changing clinical picture
- Escalating and managing obstetric emergencies
Presented by | DHB Midwifery Educator Team |
Time | Full day session (0845 - 1600) |
Location and Dates | Tokoroa Hospital / Birthing unit – 15 and 16 September Thames Hospital / Birthing unit - 4 and 5 August Taumaranui Hospital / Birthing unit - 28 and 29 September Te Kuiti Hospital - 24 November |
Cost | Free |
How to book | Local Nurse Educator / CMM / CNM or WomenHealthEducation@waikatodhb.health.nz |
A great interactive / hands-on workshop with the aim to integrate learning from this workshop with collegial support in clinical practice to:
- support and equip midwives to become competent and confident to identify perineal trauma: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th degree tears
- support and equip midwives to become competent and confident to repair perineal trauma: 1st and 2nd degree tears
Presented by | O & G consultant and Midwifery educator |
Time | AM and PM 4-hour sessions |
Location | Waiora Level 4 - skills ward |
Cost | Free |
Dates | Friday 26 March Tuesday 1 June Friday 1 October |
How to book |
Request through booking process |
- Remifentanil education and certification and Epidural practical education and certification [PDF, 353 KB]
Friday 15 January 2021 - Sleep well regardless of working shifts - a half-day virtual workshop for health professionals [PDF, 1.6 MB]
Wednesday 27 January 2021 (10am to 1pm via zoom)
This event is approved as continuing midwifery education by the Midwifery Council with 4.5 hours allocation