Exploring Midwifery Practice and Nursing Organizations: An Interview with Mrs. Lynette Cusack

In this document we will discuss about Exploring Midwifery Practice and Nursing Organizations and below are the summary points of this document:- The text discusses the importance of midwifery practice and the role of nursing and midwifery organizations. Mrs. Lynette Cusack, a board member of the Nursing and Midwifery board of Australia, is chosen for the interview due to her expertise and qualifications. The aim of the interview is to explore primary maternity care, its challenges, and the role of the midwifery council in improving midwives' welfare.

Running head: SOCIOLOGY
Topic: SOCIOLOGY
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Table of Contents
Introduction........................................................................................................................1
Choice of Interviewee and the reason behind the choice...................................................1
Summarization of responses from the interview................................................................2
Reflection of the principles of maternity care from the interview.....................................4
Conclusion..........................................................................................................................6

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Introduction
There has been a recent increase regarding the risks associated with pregnancies all
over the world, and in this context there has been importance on the team of nurses assisting
such cases and the midwifery council associated with it. There has been almost 360,000
nurses registered in Australia in 2015. Moreover they work at an average of 33.5 hours per
week .9 out of 10 midwifes are women (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare,
2019).Thus, I have been intrigued to learn about the midwifery practice and the various issues
connected with its success and welfare. For this interview I have contacted, Mrs. Lynette
Cusack, an eminent board member of Nursing and Midwifery board of Australia. Over the
years, this organization have been successful in registering midwifery practitioners and
nurses. The main rationale behind choosing this organization has been further developing the
guidelines standards and codes for the nurses as well as midwives. Thus, it is one of the most
trusted professional midwifery organizations. Moreover, the nursing and midwifery board of
Australia have been successful in establishing state as well as territory boards for supporting
the National board and its work in the national scheme (Nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au,
2019). In this article, I would justify the reason of choosing Mrs. Lynette Cusack for
conducting the interview and the main aims of the midwifery organizations. Moreover I
would also enhance my existing knowledge about Primary Maternity Care (PMC), the
process and the challenges involved with it, along with strategies aimed at overcoming the
various challenges and ultimately the role of midwifery council in escalating the welfare of
midwifes.
Choice of Interviewee and the reason behind the choice
My primary aim in conducting this experiment was to ensure a proper and flexible
workforce in terms of nursing as well as midwifery which would be successful in meeting the
future and current needs of the women of the Australian community through a safe and

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competent practice. I prepared a semi-structured interview based on these primary concepts
which would focus on the leadership among midwifes, nurses , students of the midwifery as
well as nursing for regulation of the public interest. Thus this semi structured interview was
conducted with the help of a manually prepared questionnaire. The reason behind choosing
Mrs. Lynette Cusack as the main person for conducting the interview is the amount of
expertise she had gained in her field. Regarding her qualifications, she has been a registered
nurse as well as midwife and thus would have the experience of learning more about
midwifes. Moreover, she has achieved a certificate on midwifery ascertaining the fact that
she has been an expert nurse. Over the years she has been an integral part of the Australian
college of nursing, nursing and midwifery council of Australia and the sigma theta tau
International Society of nursing. Thus, I have found that based upon the experience she had
gained in her expertise and based on her association with multiple organizations for
midwifery she would be the best person to enlighten me on the context of primary maternity
care and the involvement of midwifes in escalating their health. The main function Ms.
Lynette Cusack has to perform is setting up various registration requirements and registering
the students, nurses as well as midwifes of midwifery. Moreover her functions also includes
proper management of investigation, notifications, as well as panel headings. In addition to
all these responsibilities, she would approve various accreditation standards for protection of
the pregnant woman and thereby enhance the health of women involved in childbirth
(Smolowitz et al., 2015).
Summarization of responses from the interview
Various perspectives of the health of mother and her children is linked along with care
provided by the nurses as well as midwives belonging to the nursing and maternity care in
Australia. Mrs. Lynette Cusack has stressed on the fact that maternity care is one of the most
fundamental processes integral to the overall health of a society. According to her

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“Collaboration and proper co-ordination among health professionals optimizes the outcomes
of women and their abilities.” A specialized team of midwifes, general practitioners and
aboriginal health providers are important for the provision of maternity services related to
remote and rural areas of Australia. She focuses on the fact that there should be a balance
between the conditions of employment which be instrumental in reducing the work disparity
among the rural and urban work conditions among practitioners. According to her, most
maternity healthcare providers must have proper accreditation as well as credentiation.
Moreover, strict monitoring of the quality of health care is important which should enhance
the equity as well as quality of access for rural women and services provide by midwifes
(Turnclap et al., 2015). Funding models should be supportive of the use of various modern
communication technologies inclusive of telemedicine as well as video conferencing for
optimal as well as efficient management of the problems associated with neonatal care. Ms.
Lynette Cusack stresses on the role of the midwives for the improvement of the neonatal care.
She believes that a midwife should be able to involve women as well as their families for a
safe as well as positive experience of birth pregnancy and early parenting. Strongest
indicators as per the answers of Mrs. Lynette Cusack experience related to support,
communication, and actively involving women in their provision for care and also the way
they are treated with dignity, kindness as well as respect. A vital component often involves
interpersonal skills of midwifes and nurses which are important for academic qualifications
(Nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au, 2019). Midwifery education often would demand the
emotional intelligence of the nurses and the midwives involved in neonatal care. Mrs. Lynette
Cusack claims that the student nurses and midwives face a lot of challenges during their
practice. A proper deficit of cultural training has been important for improper interactions.
Moreover, the midwives should ensure constant standards of practice as well as training and
they should gain the respect and trust along with their patients they reserve. As a

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recommendation to the current nursing and midwives practice, Mrs. Lynette Cusack suggests
that they need to develop their skills for increasing their confidence so that they can take up
more responsibilities for caring for pregnant women. Thus, they can assume a better
advocacy role and can make women to make informed decisions. Mrs. Lynette Cusack states
that a proper strategic plan is important for incorporation for the proper role of the nurses and
midwifes. She along with her institution is proud for supporting the work of the Torrent State
Islander and the aboriginal populations (Nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au, 2019). The group
she is involved in has the main aim of achieving equity in health among aboriginal as well as
the Statement of Health Strategies Intent. Moreover, it also has a broader aim of closing the
gaps in various health outcomes. Cultural safety is another factor which according to Mrs.
Lynette Cusack is important among midwifes. Thus, it is an integral part of the midwifery as
well as nursing among NMBA codes of conduct and standards for practice.
Reflection of the principles of maternity care from the interview
I think that this interview has increased as well as enhanced my knowledge regarding
the principles of primary maternity care and its overlapping relation with the role of the
nurses and midwives. Maternity care should be based on evidence and it should definitely be
women centered (Cheng et al .,2018). Moreover from the interview I have learnt that
acknowledging birth, pregnancy as well as parenting are significant events of life for women.
Hence women centered maternity care is primary for the response to the needs as well as
preferences of the women. It enables them to access evidence based information which
would support the informed choices regarding to maternity care. Moreover, it would also
require the proper service planning as well as provision which is designed as well as
implemented for responding to the various needs especially that of Australian women along
with safety as well as quality based system. Mrs. Lynette Cusack had faced challenges
regarding deficit of cultural training among the nurses and the simultaneous lack of

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knowledge regarding the needs and appropriate requirements of the mother and pregnant
women. I would suggest an educational interactive program regarding the up skilling as well
as sharing of information which has enabled her to secure collaborative provision of service.
The principles of primary maternity care have helped me to enhance the knowledge gained
through the interview. I have observed from the interactive session with Mrs. Lynette
Cusack that maternity care is considered to be important for pregnant women. It places the
care of child before her own care. Moreover, the care for maternity have helped women as
well as their families for making informing and making choices regarding the needs of the
individuals. Maternity services would help in providing care across birthing and pregnancy
continuum which is considered as key elements for quality maternity care including women
and their babies (Obs Gynae & Midwifery News - Incorporating Women's Health, 2019).
During the interview both of us have considered the fact that midwives are the main
providers for care for women during their labor pregnancy as well as birth (Bedwell,
Mcgowan & Lavender, 2015). Moreover we know that continuity of care led by midwives
have been delivered using a network which is multi-disciplinary involving consultation as
well as referrals along with other care providers. According to statistical research done by
king’s college in London, it has been seen that pregnant women who are under the care of
midwives usually has been much happier than those left along for provision of care. Thus it
has intrigued me to follow a proper plan of care and have simultaneously increased my
interest regarding the role of a midwife (Freytsis et al., 2017). Another challenge which I
have observed is the problems associated with caesarian births. Thus I should make sure that
under midwife settings they have no more likely to have caesarean births and have tended to
be present there for more than an hour on an average. Moreover I have been enlightened
about the various risks and associated with the women undergoing child birth and the specific
importance of midwifery regarding this sensitive issue. Community participation is

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considered as an integral part of primary maternity care which enables to meet the local needs
of women especially those who are about to give birth.
From the reflection during the interview, I have compared my nursing skills and
observed that there are various areas where I lack in my skills. I should follow proper plan of
care and should provide a holistic approach, providing the necessary support and care to
women during their pregnancy as well as labor and also their post-partum period. I should be
careful about women undergoing caesarian births and make sure to take care of the
intervention implemented in helping them. I should give more importance on post natal care
as it is the most vulnerable period during the birth of a child and is important for both the
child and mother (Forster et al., 2016). Moreover, I have also been enlightened about
community development which is an important component for provision of my nursing skills.
This reflection has been fruitful in the identification of components .I have developed a desire
for achieving better standards in my life. This reflection have further helped me learn the
importance of work life balance as burn out has been an important criteria affecting the
reduced affectivity of the nurses (Creedy et al., 2016). I have been encouraged by Mrs.
Lynette Cusack and the ways she has worked to make the institution a better place. Her future
criteria and goals have aimed to improve the present condition of midwives and the care
given to pregnant women.
Conclusion
From the above paragraphs, I have learnt valuable lessons regarding my role as nurse
and enhancing them for increasing the competencies of midwives for the improvement of
health related to maternity. I have created a manually prepared questionnaire and had a
valuable interactive session with Mrs. Lynette Cusack a board member of the Nursing and
Midwifery board of Australia. From her I have known the various experiences gained by her
and the struggles faced during the implementation of strategies focusing on the overall health

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of pregnant women and care given by the midwives. Thus this interaction has been very
helpful for the enhancement of my interpersonal skills as a nurse and helped me to improve
on the qualities I lack based on the interaction received with Mrs. Lynette Cusack.

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