American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM) Delegation to The United Arab Emirates, November 12-18, 2022

Delegation Leader: Dr. Cathy Collins-Fulea, May 2020-May 2022, President  of ACNM

PROFESSIONAL PURPOSE STATEMENT

A delegation  of  Nurse Midwives from the United States will visit the United Arab Emirates for the purpose of meeting with professional counterparts, academics, and government officials.  The delegation will arrive on November 12, 2022, visiting Dubai and Abu Dhabi, departing November 18, 2022.  

In conjunction with the American College Nurse Midwives (ACNM), this delegation will be led by the May 2020-May 2022 President of ACNM, Dr. Cathy Collins-Fulea. The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) is the professional association that represents certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and certified midwives (CMs) in the United States. ACNM sets the standard for excellence in midwifery education and practice in the United States. Delegation members will be invited from the membership of ACNM. 

This  delegation  will be administered by the Citizen Ambassador Program.  The leadership team of the Citizen Ambassador Program has administered high-level professional exchanges for over 35 years.  Citizen Ambassadors is a program of Cultural Vistas, a US non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Washington DC. 

Our primary objective for this delegation is to gain an understanding and appreciation for the profession of Midwifery in the United Arab Emirates.

 The goals for this exchange are to:

• Enhance international understanding and friendship through educational and cultural activities.
• Understand the education, regulation, and practice of midwifery in the United Arab Emirates.
• Appreciate cultural and clinical practice differences between the United States and the United Arab Emirates, including how UAE exchanges medical programs from Europe and Scandinavian countries.
• Discuss best practices for common clinical midwifery clinical issues.
• Enhance our understanding of cost and reimbursement systems.

The delegation will accomplish this objective through briefings with government and academic officials, open and direct dialog with colleagues, and interactive professional site visits.  The delegation will:

• Meet with representatives of the UAE Nursing and Midwifery Council with a focus on midwifery regulation.
• Meet with a representative from the Emirates Nursing Association – midwifery section.
• Tour hospitals that have a strong midwifery presence and meet with lead midwives as well as practicing midwives.
• Visit a midwifery education program and get a chance to discuss the curriculum – both the didactic and clinical components.
• Meet with community midwives or midwives practicing in more rural areas.

The delegates will be prepared to participate in formal and informal discussions of a professional nature. The following topics of discussion are of particular interest to the delegation. These topics may be further refined to incorporate the specialized interest and expertise of the individual delegates.

1. Discuss how midwives are educated and regulated and how they interact with nurses, physicians, and community/traditional birth workers.
2. Discuss culturally congruent care and how bias can affect the care we provide.
3. Discuss models of prenatal care such as individualized care and group prenatal care.
4. Discuss methods for supporting women during labor and birth.
5. Discuss best practices for common midwifery issues such as nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, fetal malpresentation at term, protracted labor, management of postpartum hemorrhage.
6. Discuss how ACNM can support global midwifery.

Participation, by US delegates,  in this exchange will qualify for continuing education credits.  It is intended that these exchanges be a bilateral exchange of ideas and shared professional experiences, facilitating increased learning for both the U.S. delegates and their counterparts,  fostering international understanding at the professional  and personal levels for all.