Otago Polytechnic offers midwifery course in North Island

Otago Polytechnic has expanded its bachelor of midwifery programme across Cook Strait to pick up students left high and dry.

Massey University decided at the end of last year to phase out its degree programme, leaving more than 30 potential first-year students in the lower North Island with limited options.

Otago, which introduced a more flexible learning course last year, has offered them places, head of the midwifery school Dr Sally Pairman said yesterday.

"The blended learning model is a highly transportable one, so when Massey pulled out it was relatively easy for us to plug the gap," she said yesterday.

Under the new system, students do most of their lessons from home via an internet audio conferencing virtual classroom, as well as participating in weekly group tutorials near their home, practical work experience and block courses four times a year.

Five part-time staff, all practising midwives, had been hired to take tutorials and arrange work placements for the North Island students, 25 in Wellington, eight in Palmerston North and four in Wanganui, Dr Pairman said.

Their block courses would be held in Porirua.

Otago had more than 70 first-year midwifery students this year, she said.

Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology offers the same programme to students in the upper South Island.

Massey had pulled out because of "philosophical differences" over the way midwifery training was delivered, Dr Pairman said.

"The students who have enrolled with us thought they would be accepted at Massey and were pretty shocked when they were told they would not be.

"We are delighted we have been able to pick them up."

Dr Pairman is also chairwoman of the Midwifery Council of New Zealand, which has allowed institutions to offer the bachelor's degree over three years rather than four.

The course content was the same and students were still expected to assist with at least 40 births, but instead of completing the degree over four 28-week academic years, they would finish in three 45-week years, she said.

"That is the standard the council has set.

"Women have babies every day of the year, so it is good that the students' academic year is longer ...

"It also means students can complete their qualification and begin work one year earlier."

One of the reasons for the change was to try to increase the number of graduates, Dr Pairman said.

The strategy appeared to be working.

The council had hoped to double the number of graduates to about 200 annually, but a recent survey of training institutions indicated the number of graduates would top 1100 over the next five years.