New programme director for midwifery degree programme

Born in Pinkafelder, she can look back on over 25 years of professional experience in the healthcare sector. The Vice President of the Austrian Board of Midwives also heads the regional office in Burgenland and is a member of the Austrian Society for Pre- and Perinatal Medicine and the German Society for Midwifery Science.

She herself graduated from the Federal Midwifery School at the University Women's Clinic in Graz and, after ten years in the profession, enrolled on the Health Management and Health Promotion degree programme at the Burgenland University of Applied Sciences, which she completed in 2006.

She is now returning to her former university.

The new degree programme in Pinkafeld will be the first new midwifery degree programme in Austria for 25 years.

She and her team are faced with the challenge of the constantly growing demands on the midwifery profession. The resulting increase in responsibilities also creates new challenges for the training of midwives. "In future, it will be even more important to work closely with the practice and the professional organisation in order to be able to react quickly to changes. It must always be ensured that graduates are optimally prepared for their work as midwives."

What exactly will be particularly important in the training of midwives in the coming years?

"Midwives have a wide range of responsibilities. It is therefore of immense importance to understand all physiological processes during pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period in detail and to recognise the limits of autonomous action at an early stage in the event of any irregularities. Furthermore, the topic of "counselling" on many medical and social issues will gain in importance as part of a strategy to promote health and prevention. This requires students to pay more attention to their social and communication skills. Research projects in the professional field will also play an important role in the future, which is why the course content is increasingly being adapted with a focus on learning scientific methods and skills."

Press photo Beate Kayer.