Dear Students,
As you know, the Midwives College of Utah is committed to excellence. We believe that all women deserve a gentle safe birth experience that is free from any bias related to gender, race or religion. We've been very touched and impressed with the emails and calls we've received about out of country clinical practice. It is heartening to see how passionate and concerned many of you are about the issues that have been raised lately in the midwifery community at large, specifically about the organization Midwife International. In addition to many of our students who have done and continue to do midwifery internships overseas, we are an international school, serving students who live outside the United States and Canada. As this issue has come to the forefront, it's become more and more apparent that it is something that needs to be addressed by all midwives, not only those who live or work in disadvantaged areas.
MCU is working on a full plan to address these issues, including cultural competency training for students before beginning clinical training and a review of our standards for international clinical placement. It's a big issue and it's going to take a while for us to get a handle on it in a manner that is appropriate and thorough- not a quick fix But we know a lot of you have concerns about the "right now" and we wanted to address those concerns.
1. MCU has no students in placements at this time with Midwife International and no additional placements with this organization will be approved in the near future.
2. All international midwifery placements are under review. We are not closing the door on international clinical work. Students are welcome to continue their international travels but at this time there is not a guarantee that these experiences will be accepted by the school.
3. It is the expectation that any MCU student traveling internationally will behave in culturally humble ways, and adhere strictly to the Midwives Model of Care, including respect for the autonomy of all clients and honesty in all situations. If you are in an international placement currently or have plans to travel soon, please contact the Clinical Dean immediately with your questions and we will do our best to answer them.
We are deeply troubled by the lack of accountability and standards in some international programs. If a woman is not given the opportunity to consent to care by a student midwife, the Midwives Model of Care is not in place. Any organization or birth place that does not follow the Midwives Model of Care is not an appropriate learning setting for our students. There is no place in midwifery for acts of neo-colonialism.
We'd like to hear more about your experiences and thoughts on this issue. There will be a thread on the bulletin board on this topic for discussion; we will be having conversations about this at the conference and online. The Clinical Rounds that would have been Thursday, October 10 will be replaced by a discussion about international midwifery work and cultural ethics. All students are invited to this session.
In the midwifery spirit,
Kristi Ridd-Young, President
Sarah Carter, Clinical Dean
Nicole Croft, Academic Dean
Karen Hertel, Graduate Dean
Monday, September 23, 2013
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
September 11, 2013 Update
Hello, everyone! Hope you're getting into the routine of your new classes and enjoying some cooler weather.
A few notes for this week:
If you're new to MCU and are wondering WHY you're in clinical practicum, because you don't have a clinical placement and HOW you're going to finish this class with so many assignments by December, fear not! CLNC 100 is not expected to be finished in one semester. If you're not ready to enter clinical placement, all you need to do is complete the "Clinical Handbook" assignment OR attend a Clinical Orientation session so you can learn about what WILL be expected of you once you begin your clinical work. Easy!
Speaking of Clinical Orientation and Overview, we will have another session tomorrow afternoon at 12:30 pm (the same login information as all other MCU meetings--see the bottom of this message for a copy). There will also be a session on Friday, October 4 at 11 am. These meetings do take 90 minutes, so make sure you leave enough time for them! They fulfill the Clinical Handbook quiz, and even experienced clinical students are invited!
Clinical Rounds starts back up for the semester tomorrow as well. Karen Edland will be presenting tomorrow morning at 10 am on a miscarriage case and next Tuesday at 6 pm we'll have a presentation from Brindie Bishop presenting on nutrition and avoiding complications in labor and the early postpartum period. Remember any student at MCU can attend, but you do need to view the Ground Rules session beforehand. It's in the digital library!
Don't forget that I now have Office Hours Friday mornings from 9-11 am. I can be reached via email or skype with questions, requests or even just a friendly hi-how-are-ya.
Students enrolled in Lab Classes--I have some very important information about your Skill Sign-offs that I will send tomorrow or Friday. WATCH FOR THIS EMAIL--it will be good news.
All the best,
Sarah Carter
A few notes for this week:
If you're new to MCU and are wondering WHY you're in clinical practicum, because you don't have a clinical placement and HOW you're going to finish this class with so many assignments by December, fear not! CLNC 100 is not expected to be finished in one semester. If you're not ready to enter clinical placement, all you need to do is complete the "Clinical Handbook" assignment OR attend a Clinical Orientation session so you can learn about what WILL be expected of you once you begin your clinical work. Easy!
Speaking of Clinical Orientation and Overview, we will have another session tomorrow afternoon at 12:30 pm (the same login information as all other MCU meetings--see the bottom of this message for a copy). There will also be a session on Friday, October 4 at 11 am. These meetings do take 90 minutes, so make sure you leave enough time for them! They fulfill the Clinical Handbook quiz, and even experienced clinical students are invited!
Clinical Rounds starts back up for the semester tomorrow as well. Karen Edland will be presenting tomorrow morning at 10 am on a miscarriage case and next Tuesday at 6 pm we'll have a presentation from Brindie Bishop presenting on nutrition and avoiding complications in labor and the early postpartum period. Remember any student at MCU can attend, but you do need to view the Ground Rules session beforehand. It's in the digital library!
Don't forget that I now have Office Hours Friday mornings from 9-11 am. I can be reached via email or skype with questions, requests or even just a friendly hi-how-are-ya.
Students enrolled in Lab Classes--I have some very important information about your Skill Sign-offs that I will send tomorrow or Friday. WATCH FOR THIS EMAIL--it will be good news.
All the best,
Sarah Carter
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Welcome to Clinical 100 or Welcome BACK!
Welcome to Clinical 100 or Welcome BACK!
My name is Sarah and I’m the clinical dean and your instructor for CLNC 100. Kaylee is my assistant and she is heavily involved in grading for this class. If you’re new to MCU or the clinical program, welcome! If you know what’s going on, a few things have changed and I have some tips for you too, so pay attention!
You will be enrolled in CLNC 100 until you graduate--its purpose is to guide you through your clinical experience as a student midwife! Some things to know—
1. All of your “assignments” should be uploaded via the class as PDF files if possible. If you need to convert a file from .doc or .jpg, try the free converter at: http://www.freepdfconvert.com. If you need to resend a file you can’t upload or send multiple files, please send them to both Clinical Dean AND Clinical Dean Assistant.
2. New this semester, I will have OFFICE HOURS Friday mornings 9-11 am Mountain time. During this time, I will be available by phone, skype and will return MCU messages just as quickly as I can type. Hopefully this will help people get quick answers to questions. I know that time won’t work for every student, so I’m also available for phone meetings by appointment, just send me a message and let me know.
3. CLINICAL ROUNDS will now be held twice a month-one session on a Tuesday morning and one on a Thursday evening. There are sessions Thursday, September 12, 2013 at 10:00 am and Tuesday, September 17 at 6 pm and 7 pm (all Mountain time). Reminders will be posted a day or two each session with login instructions.
If you want to attend this session, make sure you watch the ground rules session (available on the digital library) before your first rounds. You must watch a ground rules presentation before attending rounds for the first time. Every student needs to attend at least 5 sessions, including one where you will present a case! I have openings for presenters in October and November --send me a message if you would like to present.
4. Plan on attending a CLINICAL ORIENTATION and Overview session--the first one is September 9th at 12:30 pm (Mountain)--more to be announced on the Upcoming Events page and via MCU Message. This presentation is especially for new students in CLNC 100-- attendance will complete your "Clinical Handbook Quiz" assignment so don’t miss it.
5. If you are GRADUATING in 2014, message me ASAP--I have some upcoming meetings I need all of our “seniors” to attend so all eyes are crossed and tees are dotted.
6. The assignment “Preparation for Successful Preceptorship” asks you to go to a website. The website has been moved but the link at the old site will forward you, and you now have to click “JOIN SITE” after you log in. One extra step--everything else about this assignment is the same.
7. Final Note: I have set up a BLOG to store updates like these (you can expect them about once a week) so you don’t have to keep my emails in your box. The address is: http://midwifingmidwives.blogspot.com/ and I highly recommend bookmarking or subscribing to it--I will be posting clinical placement opportunities as they come in, and updates about upcoming events (like orientation sessions and clinical rounds). Plus, pictures!
I’m excited about this semester and I’m here to help you have a successful clinical experience—let me know how I can help.
All the best,
Sarah Carter
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