Educating advanced midwife practitioners: A collaborative venture

Aim To describe the collaborative development of an MSc course preparing Ireland's first advanced midwife practitioners. Background Ireland has 55 advanced nurse practitioner posts, but, as yet, no advanced midwife practitioners. Methods A consultative, collaborative process involving 38 midwives across Ireland generated the philosophy, aims and content of the course. Results Participants stated that candidates should be committed to the conceptual uniqueness of midwifery; the advanced midwife practitioner role should be clearly defined and supported by the candidate's sponsors; programme content should emphasize normal midwifery, be practice led, and encourage reflective, evidence-based, women-centred care. Conclusion The collaborative process used to develop this programme ensures that it will meet individual students' needs, thus enhancing the education of Ireland's first advanced midwife practitioners. Implications for midwifery management The emphasis on normality rather than specialization is a message that could be assimilated by managers in other countries to the benefit of childbearing women across the world.