Education and training

Obstetrics workshops are administered by Rural Health West as part of their ongoing commitment to the provision of quality continuing professional development for rural general practitioners and midwives. The workshops are facilitated and delivered by SOSU with the aim to increase GP obstetricians and midwives’ ability to:

• assess and manage complications arising during and following pregnancy and birth;
• review and consider improvements to current protocols in the light of new guidelines and evidence-based medicine;
• improve perinatal and neonatal outcomes by better management of intra-uterine growth restriction, intrapartum fetal heart rate abnormalities, shoulder dystocia, vaginal assisted delivery and vaginal breech birth;
• improve maternal safety by better management of life-threatening emergencies like postpartum, eclampsia and diabetes; and
• increase knowledge of general teamwork principles during an obstetric emergency.

Workshops are delivered four times per year at various sites across WA Country Health Service.

Audit C eLearning package (PDF)

To improve health professionals’ confidence and ability with risk screening and application of the AUDIT-C tool, this learning guide assists with self-directed learning on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, AUDIT-C risk screening and providing pregnancy (and breastfeeding) brief interventions related to alcohol use.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is avoidable. Reducing the prevalence of prenatal alcohol exposed pregnancies requires long term, targeted and consistent public health education and advice by all health professionals to all childbearing women, their families and communities.

The learning guide begins with a self-assessment exercise to assist in identifying professional practice knowledge gaps. The exercise is based on questions raised in the course of local research with midwives and women, and, relevant components of the National Women-Held Pregnancy Record (NWHPR).

Epidural/Spinal eLearning package (external site)

This eLearning package was developed to assist health professionals to update their knowledge of epidural/spinal analgesia.

It does not confer clinical competence in the management of epidural/spinal blockade. It is recommended that health professionals adhere to local policy to gain competency.

Reading of all included links and activities, the package will take approximately 2 hours to complete.

Successful completion of the included quiz will direct you to an evaluation survey and certificate.

Water immersion for labour and birth eLearning package (external site)

This eLearning package has been developed as an alternative to attending a 6 hour water birth study day. The content has been based on the study days provided by the Australian College of Midwives, WA Branch and KEMH. There are also several areas of expansion that are considered complementary to having attended this study day and beneficial for continuing professional development.

Reading of all included links and activities, the package will take approximately 4 hours to complete.

Successful completion of the included quiz will direct you to an evaluation survey and certificate.

Basic neonatal resuscitation eLearning package (external site)

The basic neonatal resuscitation package was developed for currently practising maternity care health professionals to provide basic knowledge and skills with initial resuscitation of a baby at birth and the immediate neonatal period.

Completion of this package does not confer clinical competency. It is recommended that health professionals adhere to local policy regarding participation in clinical skills demonstrations to gain competency.

Reading of all included links and activities the package will take approximately 3 hours to complete.

Successful completion of the included quiz will direct you to an evaluation survey and certificate.

Safe Sleeping eLearning package (external site)

Developed in collaboration with SIDS and Kids WA now Rednose (external site) to provide health professionals with appropriate information to enable them to educate families and model safe sleeping practices.

It is recommended that ALL health professionals working with families and babies complete this package that incorporates the WA Health Safe Infant Sleeping Policy (external site). Reading all included links and activities, the package will take approximately 1 hour to complete. Successful completion of the included quiz will direct you to an evaluation survey and certificate.

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting eLearning package (external site)

It is recommended that ALL health professionals working with families and babies complete this package.

Reading of all included links and activities, the package will take approximately 1 hour to complete.

Successful completion of the included quiz will direct you to an evaluation survey and certificate.

Viewing on a mobile device

This package may be viewed on a mobile device (iPad, smartphone, tablet). iPad users will be prompted to download the free ‘Articulate Mobile Player’ from iTunes. Instructions for accessing the certificate for iPad users are available within the package.

The perinatal loss eLearning package was developed to assist clinicians with caring for families experiencing perinatal loss. This package has been adapted from the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (PSANZ) Perinatal Mortality Clinical Guidelines (www.PSANZ.com.au)

The package contains 6 modules:
(To view linked files within these modules you will require Adobe Reader.)

Module: Introduction (9.78mb)
This module describes the navigation of each module, definitions and abbreviations associated with Perinatal Loss and Australian perinatal loss statistics.

Module: Investigations (5.21mb)
This module describes the recommended investigations required following all perinatal deaths. It will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

Module: Documentation (17.8mb)
This module describes documentation requirements following a perinatal death.

Module: Placental and Post Mortem Examination (3.10mb)
This module explains the value, quality, reporting and standards of post mortem examinations. It will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

Module: Perinatal Mortality Classification and Audit (16.8mb)
This module explains the purpose of the perinatal mortality classification

Module: Clinical Considerations and Psychosocial Aspects of Care (5.88mb)
This module describes recommended clinical and psychosocial care practices.

Improving Perinatal Mortality Review and Outcomes Via Education (IMPROVE) (external site)

This is a training package of six courses and is designed to support healthcare professionals in responding to women who have experienced stillbirth, and gain crucial learnings. Each course takes approximately 20 minutes to complete and provides essential training for obstetricians, midwives, nurses, general practitioners and antenatal staff.

Fetal Surveillance (external site)

The RANZCOG OFSEP is a free online fetal surveillance education resource based on an appreciation of the physiology of fetal heart rate control. OFSEP is targeted to improve the professional understanding of fetal surveillance with the aim of reducing adverse perinatal outcomes. There is an MCQ quiz after each module and a certificate on completion. It is a recommended pre reading for RANZCOG face-to-face FSEP sessions.

Syphilis Outbreak Training (external site)

There is an ongoing outbreak of infectious syphilis in central and northern Australia (including Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia) among young Aboriginal people. Notification rates are also increasing significantly in the Perth metropolitan area.

This syphilis training website provides integral professional development for any health practitioners working in areas affected by the syphilis outbreak including doctors, nurses, midwives, Aboriginal Health Practitioners and Aboriginal Health Workers.

• Key requirements of RANZCOG training programs (PDF)
• Process – Rural DRANZCOG Training Pathway (PDF)
• Accredited DRANZCOG Hospitals in Western Australia (PDF)
• Contact details for more information about DRANZCOG training in WA (PDF)
• Education Options whilst completely DRANZCOG Diplomas (PDF)
• Rural GP Obstetrics – GP Obstetric Training Pathway (PDF)
• Key Subject Areas of RANZCOG Training Programs and Completion Requirements (PDF)
• Rural (Community Based) DRANZCOG Training Pathway (PDF)
• Hospital Templates – DRANZCOG Training (PDF)
• RANZCOG Requirements (PDF)

PDF presentations

• Newborn Emergency Transport Service of Western Australia presentation (PDF)
• Neonatal Tongue Tie – To Cut or Not to Cut (PDF)
• Human Factors: The Dirty Dozen in CTG Misinterpretation – Joan Jones (PDF)
• Responding to family and domestic violence - Dr Carol Kaplanian (PDF)
• Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome - Dr Puja Mehkarkar (PDF)

Video presentations

Audit C (recorded education session)

Link to video Duration: 48:51

Gestational Diabetes (recorded education session)

Link to video Duration: 51:46

Neonatal Tongue Tie – To Cut or Not to Cut

Link to video Duration: 48:33

Human Factors: The Dirty Dozen in CTG Misinterpretation

Link to video Duration: 1:03:42