Midwifery

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Waikato Hospital is the base for all midwifery in the district. In addition to Waikato Hospital, there are two privately owned primary birthing facilities in Hamilton, one each in Matamata, Huntly and Waihi and six Health Waikato primary rural birthing facilities. These units are located throughout our region with Waikato Hospital as the tertiary provider for the central North Island.

Applying to be a midwife in New Zealand from overseas? What you need to know...

We are committed to offering the best midwifery services to women who require maternity care. To achieve this, we aim to employ midwives who share our women-centred and midwifery focussed approach. We offer opportunities for educational and peer support to prepare you for working in the tertiary setting at Waikato Hospital or at the primary rural Health Waikato maternity units. Abundant professional development opportunities are available to assist meeting Annual Practicing Certificate (APC) requirements and contributing to midwives' growth.

Midwifery with Waikato DHB

Waikato DHB recognises midwives as highly skilled, autonomous professionals who are part of a team which includes medical staff, nurses and health care assistants. They work across the scope of practice as regulated by the Midwifery Council of New Zealand.

The organisation is committed to supporting Waikato DHB employed midwives. Our caring environment for women and their families offers midwives the opportunity to work in a way whereby they can unite as a profession, with the partnership model of midwfiery care as their focus. Waikato DHB is dedicated to fostering close working relationships between employed midwives and independent midwives. We are also committed to working closely with the School of Midwifery at the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec), the local tertiary education provider.

Midwives at Waikato DHB are professionally supported by the director of nursing and midwifery and the clinical midwife director who lead a team of expert midwife educators and midwife managers.

Quality Leadership Programme

This is a professional development programme designed to recognise and reward midwives for their individual level of practice and their contribution to the midwifery profession. Participation in the programme is voluntary. The programme is recognised nationally by the New Zealand college of Midwives (NZCOM), Midwifery Employee Representative and Advisory Services (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO). Midwives are supported and coached to progressively achieve the confident and leadership domains within the QLP framework. Financial recognition is attached to the successful achievement of each of the mentioned domains.

Midwifery education

Dedicated clinical education funds facilitate financial support to ensure midwives can complete the compulsory education components of their APC requirements, which are designed and delivered by midwife educators in addition to elective midwifery council approved education workshops. The regular participation of large numbers of self employed midwives at our workshops facilitates networking and communication between midwives working in a variety of settings.

Midwives are supported to apply for funding to attend national conferences and to pursue post graduate education and training. On campus educational training facilities incorporate the Clinical Skills Centre which is part of the Auckland University School of Medicine. Facilities are described by health professionals as ‘second to none’.  World class library services are also available to all Waikato DHB staff.

Tailor made midwifery education

The Waikato DHB midwife educators aim to facilitate, plan and achieve midwifery education goals with each individual in partnership with their clinical midwife manager. this applies to new graduate midwives, midwives with overseas midwifery registration, midwives choosing to return to midwifery practice and midwives in employment wanting to plan their education for professional and career development.

Orientation

All areas require new employees to take part in the one-week generic orientation programme. This provides general information about the hospital, and covers the mandatory certification requirements.

After that each area has a three-week orientation specific to the area. There is a nominated preceptor who educates new midwives formally and informally.

Rosters

All areas in the Nursing and Midwifery Service have rostered rotating shifts. Generally you are allowed four requests per month and if there are any specific needs for study courses then these are accommodated. Roster hours are 8, 10 and 12 hourly shifts.

Leave available

Annual leave, sick leave and parental leave details are available on application.