Study Guide

Description

MIDWIFE EXPERTISE
A midwife (Bachelor level) is an expert in sexual and reproductive health as well as nursing. The midwife supports and cares for individuals of all ages in maintaining and promoting health and well-being, providing holistic care based on evidence. The midwife's role is to promote the health and well-being of pregnant individuals, those planning pregnancy, those at risk during pregnancy, those giving birth, those who have given birth, newborns, and the entire family in a changing multicultural society. Core competencies of midwifery also include gynecological nursing and promoting women's health throughout the life course. High-quality midwifery is based on strong theoretical knowledge, ethical competence, and practical skills acquired through extensive clinical practice in various midwifery areas.

A midwife can work in various roles within primary health care, specialized health care, and the third sector, as well as in private practice. Midwives can also work in development projects. The education enables work in international settings.

The Bachelor's degree in Midwifery comprises 270 credits, and it takes four and a half years to complete. Students obtain qualifications as both a registered nurse and midwife.

Midwifery expertise is based on scientifically researched evidence, with its knowledge base extending to nursing science, medicine, natural sciences, and social and behavioral sciences. Midwifery professional ethics are grounded in human dignity, the concept of humanity, and consideration of client rights. Midwifery practice is guided by principles of holistic care, emphasizing principles such as autonomy, equality, individuality, health-centeredness, responsibility, safety, continuity, family-centeredness, and self-reliance. International ethical guidelines for midwifery practice also guide midwifery education. Midwifery education involves reflective, critical, and ethical evaluation of previously acquired knowledge and actions, as well as the assimilation of new insights and contemplation of personal attitudes.

The professional competence of a midwife builds on the unified competence requirements for a nurse responsible for general care. These national and international requirements are defined by professional competence, including professionalism and ethics, communication and customer orientation, multidisciplinarity, health promotion, leadership and employee competence, information technology and documentation, guidance and teaching competence, support for self-care, clinical nursing, evidence-based practice, utilization of research knowledge and decision-making, entrepreneurship and development, quality assurance, the social and health care service system, and patient and customer safety.

TAMK's nursing education includes genomic competence, individualized care competence, digital communication skills, the utilization of digital solutions in nursing, well-being technology competence, and the principles of service professions. Students recognize and apply principles of sustainable development in their profession.

CONTENT AND PROGRESSION OF STUDIES
Midwifery expertise is defined nationally and internationally. The National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) grants the right to practice as a nurse and midwife according to the Health Care Professionals Act (559/94). TAMK's midwifery education complies with the minimum requirements for professional recognition set by the European Union directives (2005/35/EC and 2013/55/EU) for midwifery and nursing education. In addition to EU directives, the education follows and respects the recommendations of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The midwifery and nursing degrees obtained at TAMK are comparable to equivalent degrees in EU countries according to Directive 2013/55/EU.

Midwifery students' competence is built by immersing themselves in three phases of studies, completing approximately 60 credits per year. The education is provided in Finnish as full-time studies, with some courses offered in English and through various projects.
After the initial stage of studies, after the first semester students possess the basics of nursing. They follow health care legislation and ethical guidelines, observe basic life functions, identify the nursing needs of patients, and use appropriate nursing interventions. They can safely administer medication, perform medication calculations, and engage in the nursing of the elderly. Students also consider diversity in the study and work community and understand the basics of genome data.

During the intermediate stage (semesters 2-5), students develop their clinical competence in various areas of nursing. They can identify the nursing needs of patients of different ages, plan, implement, and evaluate nursing in collaboration with patients and their families. They can recognize and anticipate individual and community health problems, use knowledge from different scientific fields as the basis for their actions, guide and support patients in self-care, and utilize client-centered digital social and health services. They can work in multidisciplinary collaboration as representatives of nursing care in the best interest of patients. They can critically evaluate their own work. In the first five semesters of midwifery education, a strong foundation is built for nursing competence, followed by studies focusing on midwifery expertise.

The professional studies in midwifery consisting of Basics of Midwifery, Midwifery Competence and Development of Midwifery are based on the general nursing studies. The midwifery competence includes midwifery before and during pregnancy, midwifery during childbirth, gynaecological nursing, midwifery during risk pregnancy and midwifery after childbirth. Students can make ethical and evidence-based decisions and work professionally. Students can develop midwifery and their work responsibly. Students deepen their midwifery competence during the bachelor’s thesis and development project. Midwifery students complete nine clinical trainings during which they focus on all fields of midwifery. There are 18 periods of clinical training (112 credits) in genuine client contacts during the 4,5 years.

After the sixth semester, students can guide families planning for pregnancy, monitor the pregnancy with different methods and guide the pregnant family in physical changes and growth into parenthood. Students can implement midwifery during and after childbirth under supervision. Students can monitor, guide and treat mothers and newborn babies and support families in the changes after the childbirth.

After the seventh and eights semesters, students can take care of regular childbirths and work effectively in changing situations. They can implement family-centred midwifery in risk pregnancies. They can identify deviances during pregnancy and childbirth and treat them together with professionals of different fields. Students can support and guide women of different ages and families in promotion of sexual and reproductive health. Students deepen their competence in gynaecological nursing.

During the last half a year, students’ competence is strengthened in all fields of midwifery and they can anticipate, plan and implement midwifery. They can independently solve problems, make decisions and demonstrate critical and developing thinking in midwifery.

The Degree Programme in Midwifery includes studies in English and Swedish and 5 credits of free-choice studies. Students can complete cross-institutional studies offered by Tampere Universities (TUNI). Students are encouraged to participate in sexual and reproductive health promotion projects during their studies.

PEDAGOGICAL FOUNDATION OF MIDWIFERY EDUCATION
The pedagogical foundation of midwifery education is based on TAMK's pedagogical principles: learning-orientedness, communality and participation, sustainable future and expertise in workplace development, and digitization and internationalization.

The nursing and midwifery education strongly emphasizes learner-centricity, combining diverse teaching methods with flexible development opportunities. The education leverages a wide range of work-life-oriented learning environments based on competencies. Students can study using various methods, supporting their participation and agency in the learning process. Throughout the education, students can benefit from their previously acquired knowledge as part of their studies.

Nursing education is implemented through diverse teaching methods in various learning environments. Pedagogical methods include, among others, face-to-face teaching, small group teaching, multimodal teaching, hybrid teaching, scheduled or unscheduled online teaching, independent study, simulations, skills workshops, and guided internships. Teaching is also carried out in multidisciplinary teams.

Students have the opportunity to deepen their competence by participating in English-language education domestically or in international exchange programs and other internationally conducted studies. Additionally, students can engage in supervised internships abroad.
The pedagogy of midwifery education strongly focuses on collaborative learning, emphasizing communality and inclusivity. The central aspect is supporting the group's collaborative and cognitive work. Teaching focuses on collectively pondered, ethically sustainable solutions. Both activities and learning environments support diversity and accessibility equally.

Sustainable development as part of future higher education means learning that changes the foundations of existence, our understanding of the interdependence between humans and nature, our concept of humanity, the factors contributing to well-being, and the role of the economy in global society and communities.

In midwifery education, active collaboration with the working life is essential. The ongoing dialogue with the working life enables the education to respond multidisciplinarily to the changing and evolving skill needs of the working life. Midwifery students play a crucial role in the development work of the working life during their studies. Students can reflect on what they have learned, develop professionally, and contribute to the versatile development of nursing during their studies.

PRINCIPLES FOR COMPLETING STUDIES
Students must complete 30 credits from the first and second semesters before progressing to the third semester. These 30 credits must include a satisfactory completion of the Medication and Medication Calculation course.

Before the second internship, students must participate in the Basics of Infection Prevention, Pharmacotherapy and Medication Calculation, and Basics of Nursing courses. Before the fourth internship, students must successfully complete the Basics of Infection Prevention, Pharmacotherapy and Medication Calculation, and Basics of Nursing courses. Additionally, before guided internships 4-9, students must participate in a course related to the area of nursing practice to be undertaken during the internship (e.g., before surgery internships, students must participate in a course on the nursing care of surgical patients).

When selecting locations for guided internships 2-9, consideration is given to placing internships widely in various areas of nursing. Internships are carried out with individuals of different ages in primary health care, specialized health care, inpatient wards, and outpatient health care (in public or private health care and in the third sector), ensuring the development of skills in both somatic and mental health and substance abuse nursing. Before starting the thesis, students must have participated in the Information Literacy course and completed guided internships 1-4.

At the beginning of the midwifery phase of studies in the sixth semester, students must have completed the practical internships 1-7, as well as the theoretical studies of the nursing phase.

INTERNATIONALIZATION
As part of their degree, students have the opportunity to deepen their competence by participating in English-language education domestically or in international exchange programs and other internationally conducted studies. Additionally, students can engage in supervised internships abroad.