Developing a Program for Midwives as First Assistants for Caesarean Sections in Ontario in an Isolated Setting

Fiona Wardle, RM, SRN, SCM, Terry Beale, RM, BScN, MSN, and Pat Zehr, MD, FRCSC

ABSTRACT
This paper documents the development of the midwifery first assist program in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. It outlines the need for midwives to expand their scope of practice, provides a short history of the midwife as first assist, the training process, the implementation and an evaluation of the program.

KEYWORDS
midwifery, perioperative nurse, surgical first assist, collaborative care

This article has been peer reviewed.