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CA apprerentice midwives are no longer able to get clinical experience in state

678 views 13 replies 4 participants last post by  veganmamma 
#1 ·
I went to my first meeting for Birth Resource Network San
Deigo doula group yesterday (this is an awesome group of doulas btw). There are a few of the doulas who are apprentice midwives. They are saying that a law was passed last week that apprentice midwives can no longer get any clinical experience in the state. What an outrage! This is another instance of doctors trying to stop midwifery from growing! (I guess a group of doctors were behind the bill) Has anyone else heard this and is there anything we sister midwives and doulas can do to help these ladies?
 
#2 ·
Actually, it is not a Law that was passed. Check out Faith Gibson's website and read the letter that was sent from the medical board (I do not have her url - search under her name and you'll find it).

This is inherint to the fact that the medical board of California governs midwifery.

They will continue to pull this kind of stuff over and over. It's the name of the game and it's a game that midwives in CA have decided to play.

I feel like it's a game we are bound to lose. Midwifery is not medicine and should not be gorverned by a medical board - ever. Doctors do not have any idea what midwifery is all about.

O.K. so off my soapbox. Please check out her site and feel free to talk with her. She's an amazing, dedicated woman.

Peace and love,
L
 
#3 ·
What it is, is the CA LM law is the CNM law literally with the word Nurse crossed out. All practitioners have enabling language that allows their students to get hands on experience. Because nurses have that enabling language written into their laws, it was unnecessary in the CNM law. THerefore, it was not in the LM law which, incidentally, was NOT supported by midwives in this state, it was written by a bunch of OBs. Or sOBs as I like to say.


Anyway, it has never been technically legal for student midwives to "practice" however, becvause they are stuedents they aren't "practicing" which pretty much makes them exempt. It would actually be a hard legal battle to prosecute, and it would most likely be the senior midwife attacked. That said, the CMB (CA med board) has been backing off this one and enabling language is currently being written into the LM law for CA and it isn't currently being oppsed by the CMB, the biggest medical lobby in the US.

Now if we could only get CPMs recognized in our state... I mean, we use their test for crying out loud. Sheesh.

Lauren
 
#4 ·
Quote:
Originally posted by veganmamma
the LM law which, incidentally, was NOT supported by midwives in this state, it was written by a bunch of OBs.
Hey, Lauren...

I was one of hundreds of homebirth moms (one of the founders of CALM, Consumer Advocates for the Licensure of Midwifery) and a member of CAM (California Association of Midwives) who worked to get the LM law passed in the early 90s. As far as I know, CAM was not only supportive of this law (and I know that the organization had at least 400 members at the time, so that must have been a fair number of the state's midwives), but helped to write it.

Of course, it wasn't the law we wanted to pass. But it was a law that COULD pass (and there's a BIIIIG difference between those things!). After helping raise thousands of dollars for court costs of midwives being prosecuted (dear Faith Gibson being one of them), we knew we had to start working on the offensive instead of the defensive.

So I'm curious... why do you say the LM law wasn't supported by the midwives? Or are you referring to other laws that have passed since then?

Thanks for clarifying!

Katje
 
#5 ·
Nope, CAM helped write la law with MANA and it was completely replaced with the current law which literally is the CNM law with nurse crossed out. I have heard that some organizations "endorsed" it but no one supported it, it was a huge blow in terms of laws. The women who were working on the LM law BEFORE the CMB had a doc and his asst. literally drop the current LM law on the table and say "HERE is your law." For the 10 years before that they had been writing and rewriting bills and getting them through commitees. The year that the CMB put the current law on the table the LM law that was supported by midwives was flying through commitees. There were of course roadblocks, but it was a matter of writing things in and writing them out a few pages later. The CMB recognized that the law was on it's way to reality and they stepped in and put their law down and said they were going to go against anything else with all their might. The women who had been busting their a$$es to get a reasonable law onto the books said no, that this would set them back and be difficult, that a bad law was worse than no law. The legislator who was working with them and right now I'm drawing a blank on her name decided on her own that this was the time and she pushed it through, against the wishes of many midwifery organizations and independent midwives. CA has some of the most strict laws re: midwives. Hope that is enough clarification for now, I have to write my second paper of the day and I'm nak.

Lauren

eta: One of the problems with said current law is the lack of enabling language. If it is illegal to do hands on apprenticing, then one cannot meet state requirements for babies caught, prenatals, postpartums etc., therefore apprenticeship is worthless and midwives will be left to their current numbers never growing, only dwindling as some retire. It in essence puts a stop to growth of the profession. At least legally speaking. The only good thing that came out the law was that the women who were working on the previous bills were able to slip in a "grandmother's provision" or a "challenge provision." Women who were already practicing were able to get licensed. WIthout that provision, since there were no people to teach legally, or no licensed professionals there was no way for any midwife to become licensed. Some midwives were able to take the challenge and become licensed and then teach others who would become licensed.
 
#8 ·
Over and over I hear from midwives that at least now they are less likely to be prosecuted and are glad for the law.
At the last CAM board meeting I went to the consensus (when I asked why CA allows the medical board to govern midwifery), was that was the ONLY way they were ever going to be legal and so they aquiesced.
It is a very painfull subject for midwives here, for sure.
Personally, I think that if they keep trying to play thier game, they will never "win". There is no way the medical board will ever approve of or support autonomous midwifery.

Did you read the newest letter jsut came out?
Also, do you know about the student meeting after Ina May's lecture on Friday, here in Santa Cruz? We will be discussing this issue very carefully.
Email me if you want more info.

Lesley
 
#9 ·
I'm going on Saturday!
I hope I will see you there. My class is on Sundays otherwise I'd be at your study group. I have 3 more weeks and then I will have Sundays off again. What was the last CAM meeting you went to? Last year? or was it a local meeting? I was there last year but I was one of those snarky, horrible ladies who missed the meeting because I was participating in a circle with Suzanne Arms. We got um... in trouble. LOL
Lauren
 
#10 ·
I was wondering what happened. Actually, I am hoping we can change it from Sundays as I will be teaching classes on Sundays starting the middle of Feb. I doubt it will be changed though...it is really a good group, and I hate to not be going every Sunday. I also want to be teaching again... Ah well.

Anyway, thanks for correcting me. I thought Ina May was today.
The last CAM meeting I was speaking of was the Board meeting in Carmel.
I was at the regional meeting in Salinas last week also. Good meeting!
There is another board meeting coming up next weekend that I would really like to go to. It's a lot of travelling however, we'll see. Need to talk my SO into taking a mini-vacation...there is so much we haven yet to explore! And I love road trips!
O.k. Now I am really curious what it takes to be considered "snarky"... you go!

Lesley
 
#11 ·
:LOL This was at the conference, the yearly meeting. Everyone in the room was really in a vulnerable emotional place and it was about 10 minutes into the meeting and one of the CAM higher ups came in and chewed us out, especially one of the reps that was still in there. It was all pretty nasty, and it really just wasn't good vibes, yk? Anyway, I heard that there was one guy there and he was a member and he kept trying to run the meeting or something. Figures, the one man in the group would be a bull headed jerk. Anyway, all those meetings are so close to you, that's awesome that you get to go. Tonight is the meeting with Ina May for the General public, it's $15-$20 sliding and tomorrow is for birth professionals and it's $55-$60. So really it's both today and tomorrow and if I lived near you I'd go to both.
 
#12 ·
Well, the CMB sent out a letter to every licensed midwife in CA last week...

Says it's illegal to allow apprentices to gain any hands on experience.


They DID say they want to write enabling language and get it put into law, but so far no midwives are a part of the process and apparently Faith Gibson is like, "Nobody write any letters or do anything! I have a plan!" No word on what the plan is
: just that she will need money.
This from a woman who admits the medical board doesn't listen to her. Anyway, nobody listen to her, get involved and be a part of the process, call your CAM rep! We need to be there when this language is written!!!!!!! I will copy the letter into this thread when I have it available, and I will let everyone know if there is a semi official call to action from someone other than in ineffective renegade.
Lauren
 
#14 ·
Just an update, Faith Gipson went to liz Figeroa who took the issue to a committee, not sure which one but they issued an opinon in favor of apprentices but in the judiciary committee they had the opposite opinion so now it goes to Bill Lockyer. My student group should be building a website soon. we may need help writing letters to Lockyer. He has come out in favor of HB midwives before, so hopefully this is a good thing. Soon we willr eally need to rally.
Lauren
 
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