Midwifery

About the Programme

Midwifery belongs to regulated professions whose education is governed by EU Directive 2005/36/EC and the Act on Regulated Professions and Recognition of Foreign Professional Qualifications. The Croatian Chamber of Midwives has for years expressed its interest in establishing a graduate study programme in order to advance the education of its members – bachelors of midwifery, thereby ensuring continuity in the education of midwives as a regulated profession, given that midwives are the only healthcare profession that did not have the opportunity to develop educational vertical progression.

The professional activity of a Master of Midwifery includes coordinating midwifery care teams, particularly when a multidisciplinary approach is required, as well as managing the work of gynaecological and obstetric departments, clinics and institutions. A particular need for Masters of Midwifery is evident within the education system, where this profile could take on the education of pupils and students of midwifery as teachers or course leaders in professional subjects of midwifery care. It would also enable scientific research in midwifery, which is still largely unfamiliar within the profession and is currently carried out by only a small number of midwives who have obtained graduate-level education in related fields, such as nursing and educational rehabilitation.

In accordance with the professional activities and competencies of a Master of Midwifery, emphasis in their education is placed on developing management skills, scientific research work and teaching skills. Therefore, the programme includes 20 compulsory and 11 elective courses. As scientific research and evidence-based midwifery care interventions are the only true path for the development of midwifery and direct the profession towards science, during the first year courses are delivered that are oriented towards science and teaching competencies, such as Medical Teaching Skills, Master’s Thesis Proposal, Science and Society, Advanced Statistics in Medicine and Healthcare, Medical Informatics, Ethics in Scientific Research and Practice, Communication Skills, Application of Healthcare Legislation in the Republic of Croatia and the EU, Didactics, Contemporary Topics in Psychology, Systems of Control and Efficiency in Midwifery, Management and Economics in Healthcare, and Safe Motherhood and Promotion of Women’s Health. In the second year, courses are focused on acquiring additional knowledge and skills in midwifery: Developmental Psychology, Sexuality and Sexual Health, Psychological Aspects of Parenthood, Physiology and Dynamics of Early Child Development, Ultrasound Monitoring of Pregnancy, Prevention and Control of Healthcare-Associated Infections, Early Intervention, and Supervision in Midwifery. During the study, the student selects 11 elective courses related to the profession. The study programme concludes with the preparation of a master’s thesis based on research.