As of December 31, 2014, Midwives College of Utah is issuing a moratorium on clinical credit for international midwifery experiences. While recognizing the benefits of international midwifery service, including a broader understanding of midwifery in other cultures and opportunities for preceptorship beyond what is available in the United States and Canada, we have found that the challenges, both logistic and ethical, are too great to permit us to encourage students using these experiences for credit toward their degree. Challenges such as the differing standards and scope of midwifery in other countries, the inability to provide oversight at clinical sites overseas, safety issues for midwives, students and clients, and most of all, the deep and alarming racial, economic and associated power-privilege dynamics that may hinder the ability to provide quality, ethical care--these are the issues that have led to this decision.
Students may still choose to do service experiences in any location they choose, but experiences outside the United States will not be applicable to clinical experience requirements for graduation or taking the NARM exam. This should allow students to focus on service and learning without concern for fulfilling experience “numbers”. It is still strongly recommended that students complete the cultural competency course before embarking on this type of work, and we are currently working on additional modules and classes that will be available for students planning international midwifery service. As additional resources become available, we will keep the student body notified.
Exceptions may be made for students who are residents outside the US and Canada (for example, if you are a student in and from the Dominican Republic, we will do our best to support you in approving a local clinical placement or you can travel to the US for your clinical work.) We do recommend that students living and planning to practice outside the US consider their local training and certification options first, so they can learn midwifery as it is practiced in their country or locale.
Based on our belief that midwifery care prizes the “physical, psychological, and social well-being of the mother” (from the Midwives Model of Care™) above the ability of midwives to receive educational experience, we are enacting this moratorium until standards can be set on an international level that will sufficiently protect women and families and the midwives who serve them.
This policy was decided by the MCU administration in consultation with leaders of other MEAC schools and international midwifery programs as we collectively come together as midwifery educators and practitioners to develop and implement comprehensive standards for international clinical placements.
Contact Sarah Carter, Clinical Dean, with questions about this policy at ClinicalDean@midwifery.edu.
