Clinical Midwife

The Clinical Midwife is responsible for competently providing safe and effective care to Women during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and their newborn babies in the postpartum period with minimal supervision by the Clinical Nurse Leader/Clinical Midwife Leader The Clinical Midwife assesses care needs, plans, implements and evaluates programs of care.

The Clinical Midwife is responsible for ensuring that all duties are carried out to the highest possible standard, aligned to Sidra Standards of Practice.

A Clinical Midwife is a person who is recognized as a responsible and accountable professional who works in partnership with women to give the necessary support, care and advice during pregnancy, labor and the postpartum period to conduct births under the midwife’s own responsibility and to provide care for the newborn and the infant. This care includes preventive measures, the promotion of normal birth, the detection of complications in mother and child, the accessing of medical care or other appropriate assistance and carrying out of emergency measures.

Professionalism and Ethical Practice

• Practices within the DHP Scope of Practice according to licensure within the State of Qatar.
• Accepts accountability for own actions, decision-making and related outcomes for which one has authority.
• Assumes responsibility for the delegation of aspects of care delivery.
• Delivers midwifery care and practices with reference to the national and Institutional Code of Professional Behavior and Ethics for Nurses and Midwives and the ethical and professional framework alongside consideration of the socio-cultural needs of women and their families, communities, and society.
• Provides total individualized woman-centered care and assumes responsibility and accountability for assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating care during the antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum periods, discharge planning for each woman, her baby and family.
• Acts as an advocate, protecting women’s rights per Qatari law and the healthcare institution’s Code of Professional Behavior and Ethics for Nurses and Midwives.
• Ensures timely documentation of care, discharge planning and family education aligned to Sidra Medicine standards of documentation.
• Respecting the woman’s right to be fully informed establishes a context for self-determination and informed consent.
• Respects and maintains the woman’s right to privacy and dignity.
• Acts sensitively and fairly, giving due consideration to diversity, including cultural and religious beliefs,race, age, gender, physical and mental state, and other relevant factors.
• Practices as an expert practitioner demonstrating critical and analytical thinking by problem solving and escalating appropriately in the process of care delivery in the client group.
• Independently initiates escalation of issues following the chain of command, utilizing resources as needed.
• Questions, when appropriate, healthcare practice where the safety of others is at risk and where the quality-of-care warrants improvement; acts where the safety of care is compromised and, where necessary, reports others who may be risking the safety of women and their families.
• Independently maintains licensure and regulatory requirements (e.g. life support certifications and CPD requirements).
• Meets requirements of organizational, professional and departmental/role specific orientation competencies.
• Role models appearance and behaviors that promote a positive image of midwifery.
• Adheres to time and attendance requirements.
• Participates in new staff/student orientation, assists in maintaining a suitable learning environment and acts as a preceptor/mentor in the supervision and teaching of new staff/students to develop their competence.

• Actively participates and/or contributes the Shared Leadership structure to promote and embed Shared Leadership.

  Woman and Family Centered Care

• Provides holistic, woman and family centered care based on evidence and best practice.
• Anticipates and responds to woman and family care requirements that involve the pre-conception, antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum periods, provides newborn care, family planning.
• Provides holistic care to women during labor, detects complications and abnormalities and initiates appropriate emergency interventions and escalates concerns.
• Conducts normal births when required, and carries out designated roles and tasks in the event of surgical intervention.
• Promotes the access of medical care and assistance to pregnant women as needed.
• Provides advice on the promotion of health and wellbeing.
• Evaluates learning needs of the woman and/or family and provides appropriate educational program and family education.
• Maintains confidentiality at all times.
• Undertakes antenatal bookings and follow-up care in the midwifery-led clinics independently where provided.
• Provides comprehensive, holistic and evidence-based woman-centered health care.
• Engages the woman and her family in preconception counseling based on the individual situation,
• needs and interests.
• Participates in activities to optimize women’s access to the full range of services required for effective healthcare throughout the preconception period until the end of the eighth week after the birth.
• Undertakes a comprehensive and systematic health assessment to determine women’s healthcare needs.
• Performs and documents a comprehensive medical, obstetrics and gynecology history, physical, psychosocial, emotional, ethnic, cultural, and spiritual assessment of the women’s health status.
• Initiates appropriate internal and external referrals to other members of the health care team and other specialties based on assessment and referral guidelines.
• Applies the best available evidence to support clinical reasoning, decision-making and safe practice.
• Provides a comprehensive program of parenthood preparation.
• Providing safe, responsive, compassionate care and support for the woman and her family to promote
• normal birth.
• Administers medication through agreed standing orders and therapies in a safe, timely and effective manner in accordance with health care institution policy.
• Develops, implements, evaluates, and revises the plan of care as required based on a reasoned evaluation of the woman and the unborn infant.
• Plans for continuity of care, including supported transition and/or discharge.
• Defines expected goals and/or outcomes in terms of the individual woman’s needs, concerns, culture and values.
• Cares for and empowers the mother throughout childbirth in various settings, including the hospital, home, and clinics.
• Conducts and promotes physiological childbirth from 37 weeks’ gestation, identifies complications or deviations from normal, and refers accordingly.
• Recognizes abnormalities and refers the woman's care to an appropriately qualified healthcare professional in a timely manner.

• Takes the necessary emergency measures within the scope of practice in the doctor's absence.

  Teamwork and Collaboration

• Treats colleagues, patients, and visitors with dignity and respect at all times.
• Promotes and maintains effective communication and teamwork.
• Promotes collaborative working within the Multi-disciplinary team understanding the role of all members.
• Demonstrates collaborative and respectful behavior.
• Contributes to a positive work environment.
• Seeks ways to advance midwifery autonomy and accountability.
• Participates in the investigation of clinical incidence for safety and quality improvement.
• Promotes physiologically normal vaginal birth.

• Takes the lead role in identifying care pathways, including for perinatal mental health and women with complex needs.

  Promotion of Health and Education for Women and their Families

• Provides education and care to optimize the health of pregnant women, the fetus, and their families from conception to the end of the postnatal period.
• Takes part in health promotion, health education and illness prevention initiatives and contributes to their evaluation.
• Provides relevant health information and patient education to individuals, families, and communities to achieve optimal health, rehabilitation and/or well-being.
• Recognizes the potential for patient education and teaching for health and wellbeing in nursing/midwifery interventions.
• Applies knowledge of resources available for health promotion and health education.
• Acts to empower the woman, her family and the community to make reasoned decisions regarding childbirth and infant wellbeing.
• Demonstrates understanding of traditional healing practices within an individual’s, a family’s and/or a community’s health belief systems and incorporates appropriately and/or provides education if adversely affecting optimum health.

• Applies various teaching and learning strategies with the woman, her family and her community to effect and evaluate learning.

  Evidence Based Practice

• Adheres to Sidra’s Nursing and Midwifery Standards of Practice.
• Ensures Woman centered health care is based on best evidence.
• Promotes and supports breastfeeding in alignment with the current WHO/UNICEF Guidelines.

Quality Improvement

• Identifies ways to improve services through quality improvement initiatives.
• Participates in quality improvement initiatives and measure outcomes.
• Contributes effective use of resources and identifies any opportunities for efficiency.
• Participates in investigation of clinical incidents for safety and quality improvement.

• Seeks evidence from a wide range of credible sources to maintain, extend and evaluate the quality of midwifery care.

  Safety

• Acknowledges own limitations in knowledge, judgment and/or skills, and functions within those limitations.
• Demonstrates consistent and reliable use of technology and standardized practices that support safety and quality.
• Communicates observations or concerns related to hazards and errors to patients, families and the health care team.
• Uses organizational error reporting systems for near miss and event reporting.
• Demonstrates effective use of strategies to reduce risk of harm to self or others.

• Assumes responsibility and accountability for own clinical decision, delegation and provides supervision to team members according to their competence and scope of practice.

  Informatics

• Accurately, concisely and appropriately documents care, interventions and outcomes in a timely manner
• Practices contemporaneous documentation, ensuring entries into the medical record are recorded and signed in real time
• Utilizes data from the patient record to make decisions and responds appropriately to clinical decision-making supports and alerts
• Protects confidentiality of protected health information in electronic health records
• Follows all Hospital related policies and procedures.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.
• Adheres to Sidra’s standards as they appear in the Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest policies

• Adheres to and promotes Sidra’s Values

  In view of the evolving needs and opportunities within Sidra, this position may be required to perform other duties as assigned and reporting relationships may vary.

Bachelor’s Degree in Midwifery.

or

Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and recognized post graduate program in Midwifery.

Registered Midwife.

Overseas candidates:

3 years of clinical experience as a midwife after completing the midwifery program and registration/licensing as a registered midwife.

For Qatari Nationals, Qatar Universities graduates, offspring of Qatari women or offspring of residents, please refer to the DHP Circular No.24/2020.

Exceptions to the experience requirement may be granted for Qatari nationals (internal and external candidates), with a reduction of up to two (2) years. [For a DHP licensable role, the experience requirements mandated by the Department of Healthcare Professions, along with the defined scope of practice, must be strictly followed.]

Proven midwifery led delivery experience

Effective communication skills

Excellent team player

Motivated and enthusiastic

Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite

Fluency in written and spoken English