Professional opportunities
The role of the Midwife is regulated by Decree No. 740 of September 14, 1994, and subsequent amendments.
It belongs to the group of recognized intellectual professions, i.e., those for which registration in specific professional registers or lists ("Professional Registers") is mandatory. The midwife obtains qualification through passing the final examination at the end of the degree program in Midwifery.
With the entry into force of Law No. 42 "Provisions on Healthcare Professions", the midwife lost the designation of auxiliary healthcare profession and became a healthcare profession in its own right. This law recognizes the three fundamental rights of an intellectual profession:
- Decision-making autonomy,
- Cultural and operational independence,
- Professional responsibility.
The professional fields of competence of the midwife are gynecology, neonatology, and obstetrics. In these contexts, the midwife cares for the person both from a clinical perspective (midwifery cure) and a supportive one (midwifery care), as well as an educational/informative perspective (midwifery educator).
Skills
To perform the functions assigned to the midwife, the following disciplinary and cross-disciplinary skills and abilities are required:
- Knowledge of the main mechanisms of the reproductive system and embryonic development, and the ability to identify potentially pathological situations;
- Ability to identify the psycho-emotional aspects related to changes in a woman’s biological cycle;
- Ability to identify possible solutions to problems within their competence, evaluate them in relation to predictable outcomes, and structure them into the necessary sequence of operations, also assessing effectiveness and efficiency;
- Knowledge of the ethical principles governing professional practice;
- Knowledge of health determinants, risk factors, and prevention strategies applied to interventions aimed at promoting and ensuring the safety of environments, workplaces, healthcare professionals, and users;
- Ability to analyze women’s health problems throughout their biological-sexual cycle and the responses of healthcare and social services to the main needs of women, newborns, couples, and communities;
- Ability to organize effectively, set priorities, and manage time efficiently;
- Ability to interact with colleagues, doctors, and patients, including those from different cultural backgrounds;
- Ability to analyze and understand the context in which one’s professional activities are carried out, identifying relevant aspects and adopting methods consistent with basic and advanced training;
- Ability to manage the relational aspects of professional activities and to identify appropriate communication methods with different stakeholders involved in the care process.
Career opportunities
The midwife practices professionally in public or private healthcare facilities, either as an employee or as a freelancer, in:
- Hospitals
- Universities
- Private clinics
- Birth centers
- Home settings
- Family counseling centers
- Outpatient clinics
- Community healthcare services