Midwifery has become a popular profession again
Midwifery , once considered a thing of the past, has been revived, becoming a profession with guaranteed employment and a popular choice for young women. New legislation grants midwives the right to open a business under the name "Private Health Professional Service Unit." Midwives who monitor a pregnant woman's every step of the way and assist with births have now gained the opportunity to start their own businesses.
Midwifery has become a popular profession, as evidenced by the surge in demand over the past seven years. While midwifery education was offered in 64 programs at 49 universities in 2017, the number of universities offering midwifery education rose to 68 and the number of programs to 97 by 2024. The number of available quotas, which had been 3,026, increased by nearly 82 percent to 5,490.
Kocaeli Health and Technology University (KOSTU) is one of the universities that will open a midwifery department starting in the 2025-2026 academic year. Faculty of Health Sciences Dean Prof. Dr. Yurdanur Dikmen discussed the rise of new-generation midwifery. Emphasizing that midwifery education is being strengthened in line with the normal birth support action plan, Prof. Dr. Dikmen said:
In the last five years, there has been a significant increase in the number of midwifery departments opened at universities in Türkiye. Occupancy rates in these departments have reached 100 percent, and the midwifery profession is attracting significant interest from our youth. Midwifery education in Türkiye currently meets most international standards. We have designed our educational model to meet the demands of the times. We are implementing an innovative educational approach that will integrate technology and artificial intelligence applications in particular.
'Midwives can open their own businesses'
Professor Yurdanur Dikmen emphasized the many job options available to midwives and explained the advantages of the new regulation. Professor Dikmen said, “The authority of midwives in Turkey has been significantly expanded. According to the new regulation, midwives can open businesses. They can independently monitor and deliver a pregnant woman. Midwifery graduates can work in both the public and private sectors, or they can start their own businesses. Therefore, as a university, we plan to train the next generation of midwives to utilize technology, especially artificial intelligence, in the best possible way in their care services.”
'It will follow you from the moment you decide to get pregnant'
Prof. Dr. Yurdanur Dikmen, who stated that there is a new generation midwifery model that takes a more holistic approach, continued: “The new generation midwifery will be like this. You will have a midwife who follows you from the moment you decide to get pregnant, just like a family health physician. They will provide information on every aspect of pregnancy, from folic acid use to diet. They will provide psychological support , especially during your emotional ups and downs. They will even be able to counsel you on social media. In the future, every woman should have a midwife. I believe there will be a midwifery model like our family physicians.”
Prof. Dr. Yurdanur Dikmen explained that midwives provide supportive services after birth, in addition to the normal birth process:
"Indirectly, midwives also provide services to a wide range of public health services. Because the educational opportunities provided to midwives actually support public health services. Because we're not just talking about women and pregnant women. What are we talking about? Midwives provide family planning services. What are we talking about? They provide breastfeeding counseling services. What are we talking about? They provide training on sexual health. Therefore, midwifery is a profession that directly impacts public health in a broader sense, not just birth and women's health."
'Women are happier in this midwifery model'
Prof. Dr. Dikmen explained the benefits of the holistic approach: “Women who receive services through the holistic midwifery model are satisfied with the process. Numerous scientific studies have shown that postpartum depression levels are lower, and that psychological resilience and mood are reflected more positively in the child, family members, and themselves. Therefore, we can say that the holistic midwifery model has emerged as a very important concept for women's health in recent years.”
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