Childbirth can be a stressful experience for both the mother and the baby, and a skilled midwife plays a crucial role in easing this process. They can provide essential support during one of life’s most significant moments.
To become a full-fledged midwife, you must complete an internship. This hands-on training can show you what it’s really like on the job. These experiences can also help develop your clinical abilities and enhance your professional identity and personal growth.
But what happens during an internship? What will your days be like? This guide lays out what you could expect from a midwifery internship so you can prepare yourself.
Orientation and Briefings
The first few days of your internship won’t usually involve hands-on work immediately. Most programs start with an orientation to brief interns about the experience. You’ll get a tour of the hospital or clinic, go over policies, and learn about the facility’s rules. Local physicians will also likely teach you hand hygiene protocols and proper documentation of patient notes.
Briefings are a staple in internships and midwifery field training offered by reputable organizations. During this time, you may receive your assignments and be grouped with other interns under a supervisor. You’ll also be introduced to the midwives and nurses you’ll work with. This part of the internship helps you settle in and understand how things run in your assigned workplace.
Shadowing Licensed Midwives
After the orientation, you’ll likely begin shadowing experienced midwives. You’re expected to observe and get a feel of how these professionals work. You’ll see how they provide prenatal and postpartum care, manage deliveries, and interact with patients and their families.
In this part of midwifery internships, you won’t do much physically. Your task would be to watch, listen, and take notes. So, take this time to analyze what you learned in school and connect it to real-life patient care.
Rotations Through Different Apartments
Just because you have assignments doesn’t mean you’ll stay in one place for your entire intern experience. Most internship programs involve rotations through different units or departments.
For example, you might spend some weeks in prenatal care and then another in the labor and delivery unit. Afterward, you could be in postpartum care and then the newborn nursery.
Rotations give you a better understanding of the pregnancy journey and your role. You’ll witness various cases and work with different professionals. The experience will also help you determine the areas you’re most comfortable working in and which challenge you the most.
Assisting in Prenatal Checkups
You’ll level up from observing to participating in tasks as you go along your internship. One of the first practical responsibilities you may have is to assist in prenatal checkups. Among the duties you’ll do include the following:
- Checking the mother’s blood pressure
- Measuring fundal height
- Listening to the fetal heartbeat
- Asking basic health questions
You could also teach patients about proper nutrition for the baby’s health, exercise, and expectations during labor. These interactions, with supervision, can slowly improve your confidence and communication skills in your future role in maternal health.
Participation in Deliveries
Most people hear the word midwife and immediately think of the person who helps deliver babies. So, it’s no surprise you start assisting in labor and deliveries during midwifery internships.
Once you’re deemed ready, you may be assigned to participate in actual births. This part is what many interns anticipate but are also intimidated by. But don’t worry—you’ll receive supervision all the way through. You may start by offering support during labor, such as helping the mother with breathing techniques or massages. But depending on your program, you could have a more active role in childbirth.
Expect some quiet days, but get ready for those with back-to-back deliveries. These times could leave you emotionally and physically drained. Take it all as a valuable experience that will teach you how to handle high-intensity situations professionally.
Postpartum and Newborn Care
Your focus will then shift to the mother’s recovery and the baby’s health after the birth. As an intern, you could be asked to monitor vital signs, check for postpartum bleeding, and assist moms in breastfeeding.
Supervisors will also teach you how to assess newborns. Some practical skills you’ll learn include checking the baby’s weight, color, reflexes, and overall responsiveness.
Maternal education is also a significant part of midwifery internships. You, alongside healthcare professionals, might have the opportunity to talk to mothers about postpartum expectations, signs of complications, and newborn care.
Administration and Documentation Tasks
Midwifery isn’t all about the clinical work. That said, you should also know how to perform clerical work. A lot of your time might be spent doing paperwork like filing out charts or recording observations. Even during shadowing or prenatal checkups, you may document each patient interaction.
Midwifery interns may also assist in administrative tasks such as:
- Updating prenatal records
- Preparing discharge summaries
- Scheduling follow-up visits
You might find this part of midwifery internships a little dull, but proper documentation matters in all medical practices. And knowing how to document every important detail makes you a better and more reliable healthcare provider.
Handling Emergency Situations (Under Supervision)
In the field of midwifery, emergencies happen, too. Studies even report that midwives experience obstetric emergencies quite frequently. For instance, they attend emergency caesarian sections every other month, on average.
When you encounter an emergency situation during your internship, you’re not expected to take charge. However, you may be tasked with assisting with equipment, monitoring vitals, or keeping the patient calm.
These events are undoubtedly stressful but still invaluable experiences for midwifery interns. You’ll see how a team of professionals work together and respond quickly and efficiently. Through these moments, you’ll understand your eventual role in that process.
Attending Seminars and Case Conferences
In between your internship duties, you may also have the chance to attend seminars or lectures offered by the health facility. Medical professionals might discuss review protocols, unusual patient cases, or recent updates in maternal health.
Don’t skip these sessions—they’ll debrief you on experiences that may have overwhelmed you. Aside from that, seminars help you connect deeper with the midwifery team and your fellow interns.
Evaluations and Feedback
Just like being in school, you’ll receive regular feedback on your performance during the internship. It may be done daily or weekly, depending on your program. Evaluations will focus on your clinical skills, how well you communicate, and how you handle responsibilities.
Some internship programs may have formal evaluations with grading rubrics, while others have informal assessments. Regardless, you must be open to criticism. Midwifery internships are a learning environment where you can improve on your shortcomings.
Final Thoughts
Pursuing midwifery internships is a mix of observation, participation, and reflection. Every day on the field is a learning opportunity that teaches you to become a great midwife one day.
Individual internship experiences vary, but overall, expect to be challenged. Also, expect to better understand why you’re on this path in the first place. The essence of midwifery work is something a textbook can’t teach you.
