Daimaa's Natural Birth & Wellness Center, Mumbai, India

Clinical Immersion Program:

Midwife Training India

Study Midwifery Abroad

The Clinical Immersion: Midwife Training India program is considered to be an entry-level opportunity for students interested in working toward professional midwife certification.  Studies will focus on the philosophy and fundamentals of the midwifery model of care, exploring best practices in midwifery skills and techniques in comparison to alternative modes of obstetrical care. Throughout their coursework, students will investigate existing conditions of child and maternal health at the local, national and international level and begin to define their own personal philosophy of care.

As part of the Clinical Immersion: Midwife Training India program, clinical rotations will be lead by an experienced preceptor and will include exposure to prenatal, birth, postpartum and infant care in both the hospital and birth center setting, and in the home setting with traditional midwives. In addition to clinical experience, Midwife International’s Clinical Immersion: Midwife Training India program will include a significant community service component. Students will design and complete a service project that provides direct support to local organizations who are working to promote maternal health, breastfeeding, infant health and the midwifery model of care in their community.

At the end of the Clinical Immersion: Midwife Training India program, students will be prepared to take a more active role in assisting midwives and will be well on their way to pursuing the next levels of midwifery education. Upon completing the immersion program, our students will understand how to:

• Monitor the physical, psychological and social well-being of the mother throughout the childbearing cycle.
• Provide the mother with individualized education, counseling, and prenatal care, continuous hands-on assistance during labor and delivery, and postpartum support
• Minimize technological interventions and identify and refer women who require obstetrical attention.

The Clinical Immersion: Midwife Training India program is intended to be the first building block in a series of steps toward professional midwife certification. Students who wish to broaden their skills and prepare to take an active role as an assistant or primary midwife are invited to consider placement for 2-3 additional years at one of our advanced sites upon completion of the entry-level program.

Site Details

Midwife International’s Clinical Immersion: Midwife Training India program is intended for entry-level midwifery students who are registered nurses or have a strong background in health sciences, but have no midwifery experience.  Students will be paired with a dedicated preceptor, who will oversee a rigorous book study curriculum, complimented by clinical rotations at Diammaa’s Natural Birth and Wellness Center. More information coming soon…

Maternal Health and Midwifery in India

According to a 2010 study by the Harvard School of Public Health, 150,000 deaths could be prevented by 2015 if Indian women had access to better family planning and health care during their pregnancies and deliveries. But that medical help has yet to arrive. A new report by Save the Children suggests that, despite India’s booming economy, the country is still one of the most high-risk places in the world to give birth. It ranked India as the fourth-worst country among 80 less-developed nations in its survey, with nearly half of all births taking place without a trained health professional. “Even though India has made efforts to improve maternal health by encouraging institutional deliveries and taking other measures,” says Thomas Chandy, the head of Save the Children India, “the benefits have not yet appeared to bring about a shift.”

What’s frustrating, advocates say, is that the findings are in many ways old news — India has been trying to improve levels of maternal health for years. Though figures show the maternal mortality rate dropped by 66% between 1990 and 2010, India still has by far the highest number of women dying during childbirth on the planet each year, with 56,000 deaths in 2010, according to a United Nations report on maternal mortality trends. In neighboring China, which has a similarly large population, just 6,000 mothers died during childbirth in the same year. Even poorer countries in the region are catching up to India. India’s maternal mortality rate in 2010 was 200 women per every 100,000 live births, which was even with Burma and slightly better than Bangladesh (240 deaths per 100,000 live births). Nepal, meanwhile, had just 170 deaths per 100,000 births.

Read full article “Why India Is Still One of the Most Dangerous Places to Give Birth“, published by Time, World.

Midwife International’s Clinical Immersion: Midwife Training India program offers an exciting opportunity to help resource-constrained communities improve their maternal health outcomes, reduce neonatal mortality, gain clinical experience, and  build toward your professional midwife certification.

Want to Become a Midwife?

Consider applying to our midwife training immersion programs offered around world; learn more about  our 3-year midwifery school in Guatemala; read inspiring stories about how to become a midwife; check out our experience-based approach to midwifery education; or learn about any of the various opportunities we have for you to work toward your midwife certification.

And don’t forget to visit our Midwife Training FAQ or our Midwife Training Tuition and Fees pages for additional details, or contact us directly to learn how Midwife International can enrich your professional pursuits!