In May, the Faculty of Medicine at Leipzig University will begin an adaptation course for the professional recognition of midwives with qualifications from third countries. This course is very individually tailored to the participants. As the training of midwives in different countries depends on the respective education systems, medical standards and legal regulations, competencies may vary. The adaptation course at the Institute of Midwifery Science and Interprofessional Perinatal Medicine is the pilot project for Saxony, which can be rolled out to Central Germany in the future. The measure is supported by the Saxon State Ministry for Social Affairs, Health and Social Cohesion.
Petra Köpping, Saxon State Minister for Social Affairs, Health and Social Cohesion: "I would like to thank the Faculty of Medicine in Leipzig for its commitment to the recognition of foreign professional qualifications for midwives. Setting up such a pilot project requires a great deal of organizational effort. As the Ministry of Social Affairs, we were very happy to support the development of a concept for an adaptation course and an initial trial. I am therefore all the more pleased that the adaptation course can now start in Leipzig. It offers midwives from abroad the opportunity to complete the recognition procedure close to home in Saxony. Of course, this is linked to the hope that these midwives will then also find a new professional home in Saxony and can be retained as specialists in Saxony.
"With our midwifery degree course and expertise, we are well equipped and our faculty offers all the necessary requirements and high-quality facilities for this pilot project. We receive applications from interested parties from all over Germany and especially from abroad," emphasizes Ingo Bechmann, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Leipzig University. "We are cooperating with several clinics and are very grateful that they are also reaching into their own pockets to help finance the practical training of the course."
FIVE PARTICIPANTS IN THE FIRST ROUND
The first five "students" of the pilot project, who are already qualified midwives, are between 26 and 49 years old and have been living in Germany for between one and five years. They come from Ukraine, Serbia, Kosovo and Iran and cannot work in their profession here without a recognized qualification. Their vocational training at Leipzig University’s Faculty of Medicine is planned to last twelve months - with an integrated practical component in the clinic. the duration of the course is individual, i.e. it is adapted according to personal requirements and skills. Depending on requirements, the clinical training part can be extended or shortened. At Leipzig University, we attach great importance to personal contact and face-to-face teaching. We also want to integrate many practical exercises," says Henrike Todorow, describing the concept of the adaptation course.
"We are creating a completely new network and have set up our own team of experienced midwives for the new course," says the Director of the Institute of Midwifery Science, explaining the high organizational effort involved in the pilot course, which could accommodate up to 20 foreign midwives in future. we can imagine offering the program for Central Germany in the future. We are in contact with the relevant authorities and will also continue to expand our network of clinics. Interested clinics are cordially invited to get in touch with us," says Todorow. To date, there are very few comparable adaptation measures for midwives from third countries in Germany.
The adaptation course is aimed at people who have completed midwifery training or a corresponding course of study in their country of origin and can provide the following documents: the notification from the responsible authority (in Saxony, the municipal social association), a B2 language certificate, a valid residence permit and an employment contract with a maternity clinic. Various clinics and partners are involved in the Faculty of Medicine’s pilot project: the IQ Network (Integration through Qualification), the Municipal Social Association, the Saxon Midwives Coordination Office and the Saxon Midwives Association, the Academy for Vocational Training at Leipzig University Hospital and the Federal Employment Agency. The measure is financed from tax revenue on the basis of the budget approved by the Saxon state parliament.
