Since 2009, Registered Midwives have been a vital part of the team at IWK Health, providing prenatal, birth, postpartum, newborn, and sexual and reproductive health care with expertise and compassion. This International Day of the Midwife, we are proud to celebrate the growth of midwifery at IWK Health — and to introduce an exciting new role: the Hospitalist Midwife.
Hospitalist Midwives are strengthening care by enhancing hospital-based support, improving patient flow, reducing wait times in the Early Labour Assessment Unit (ELAU), and helping ensure timely discharges when the Family Newborn Care Unit (FNCU) is at capacity.
Midwives have long been champions of innovation at IWK Health, leading the development of water birth and water immersion options to offer families greater choice. The Hospitalist Midwife role continues that leadership and provides midwives with new, flexible opportunities to deliver exceptional care.
"The launch of the Hospitalist Midwife role has been an incredible opportunity to work even more closely with our physician and nursing colleagues and to be even more available to patients and families during their hospital stay," says Shannon Kaupp, Registered Midwife and IWK Health's Midwifery Clinical Lead. "This collaboration strengthens the system and helps to ensure families receive timely, supportive care when they need it most."
Designed to improve patient and provider experiences, the Hospitalist Midwife role promotes the flow of care, reduces unnecessary interventions, and strengthens the culture of physiologic, family-centered birth at IWK Health. It also supports community midwives by allowing them to focus on care in community, contributing to a more balanced and sustainable system overall.
Today, and every day, we celebrate the commitment, compassion, and innovation that midwives bring to IWK Health. Together, we are building a stronger, more responsive system for families across our community.