The role of the midwife in family planning
Bentley, N.M.
Midwives Chronicle 96(1146): 254
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0026-3524 PMID: 6555569 Document Number: 400248
There are many midwives working in the family planning clinic who have been given the impression that because they are members of the RCM they are no longer eligible for membership of the Family Planning Nurses Forum. This has caused much upset, and they now feel that their opinions on family planning matters are being ignored. The purpose of the Rcn draft document is to attempt to persuade doctors to allow the family planning nurse more scope, but midwives who are trained to work in the family planning clinics do not appear to suffer from the same problem. In fact, any midwife worthy of the title should be capable of carrying out every duty that she is trained to do. The Forum document indicates that the Rcn Family Planning Nurses Forum has become more and more aware that nurses engaged in family planning are extending their role and taking on duties that they were not taught as part of the Family Planning Association course and which are not included in the Joint Board of Clinical Nursing Studies Course 900. Some contradiction appears to exist between the "Nursing Times" article and the Forum document, allowing a nurse more scope within her existing role and undertaking duties that have not been taught are 2 different matters. No responsible nurse would undertake duties for which she has not been trained. It is incumbent on any family planning midwife or nurse to know the policy of the employing authority regarding her duties within the family planning team. The only duties which would appear to come within the terms of the extended role of the nurse would be the prescribing of oral contraception (OC) as opposed to dispensing it. This extension of a nurse's role would constitute a need to change the JBCNS Course 900 syllabus to include a module of training that would equip the family planning nurse to function effectively. Midwives feel strongly that any nurse undergoing family planning training must be taught every part of the syllabus and should not be given the JBCNS Course 900 Certificate of Competence unless they are able to carry out all the duties required of a family planning nurse. Regarding midwives and nurses, it seems an appropriate start for members of the RCM and Rcn to be able to participate fully in the Family Planning Nurses Forum and for the RCM to be seen as active regarding the midvwives' involvement in family planning.