Since the start of the 2020/2021 winter semester, Professor Dr. Monika Greening has held a professorship in Midwifery Science at the Department of Social and Health Care. Previously, the doctor of midwifery and nursing economist worked for many years as Professor of Midwifery Science and also as Vice Dean and Dean in the Department of Health and Nursing at the Catholic University of Applied Sciences in Mainz. Here she introduces herself and her current area of work in more detail.
You have been Professor of Midwifery Science at the HWG LU since September 2020. Have you had a good start despite the coronavirus-related restrictions?
Thanks to the many good spirits in - and around - the Department, my start was very pleasant.
What tasks does your new position involve?
In addition to education, I am active in the "Skills Lab Working Group "*, which is responsible for the planning and organization of this area.
What are skills labs and what is involved?
Skills labs are central training facilities where specific skills and abilities are taught in practice. The HWG LU is currently preparing to set up a skills lab for the primary qualifying degree programs in midwifery science, which will start in the winter semester 2021/2022. The skills lab concept is based on the realization that professional skills can be learned not only by talking about them, but especially by putting them into practice. New learning and practice opportunities are created for learners by mapping out fields of activity that are as realistic as possible under the roof of the educational institution. The aim is to support the transfer of theory to practice in healthcare training courses.
Components of the concept are the skills lab as a space, the skills lab method and the simulation patients and actors as protagonists. The interaction and integration of all three fields into the curriculum of the degree programs support the initiation of professional competence. Put simply, the skills labs in our case are rooms that simulate the delivery room or maternity ward in order to practice as realistically as possible.
Why is the establishment of these labs now relevant for HWG LU?
On January 1, 2020, the Midwifery Reform Act replaced the Midwifery Act of 1985, making a bachelor's degree mandatory for future midwives in Germany and bringing midwifery training into line with EU directives. There is still a transitional period for midwifery schools until 2027. The HWG LU is currently the only university in Rhineland-Palatinate that now offers this midwifery course; the skills labs are part of the curricular adjustments to the new legal requirements.
What particularly appeals to you about the new position?
The new primary qualifying degree programs in midwifery science, which will start in the winter semester 2021/22, is a particular challenge because, in accordance with the new legislation, all practical and theoretical parts of the previous midwifery training will now be responsible for and educated at the university.
I also have "real" midwife colleagues at HWG, which was not the case in Mainz. There are only a few universities in Germany that have two or more female midwifery professors. We have been granted three new professorships by the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Science. Working in a team is not only much more pleasant, it also significantly increases the quality of education.
In addition to the dual Bachelor's degree course in Midwifery, the dual Bachelor's degree course in Midwifery Science is currently being established. How are things progressing here?
We are very much on schedule. We have already worked out premises and a room plan for the skills lab, developed the module handbook and are currently in close contact with a company that will be responsible for equipping the skills lab in order to plan the purchases for this practical training location.
The new Master's degree course in Innovative Care Practice in Nursing and Midwifery (Master of Arts) has also been accredited since September and will start in the summer semester of 2021. To what extent are you involved here?
I am taking on a small part of the education here.
What are the first goals you have set yourself?
My first goal is to settle in! To familiarize myself with the team and the Department and learn to understand the university's internal structures. I have been elected to the faculty council, which will help me to get to know the university better. Another goal has already been defined with the new degree programs.
Before taking up your post in Ludwigshafen, you spent many years at the Catholic University of Applied Sciences in Mainz. What made you decide to move to Ludwigshafen?
As already mentioned, the new degree programs were the deciding factor for me. There are no plans to set up a primary qualifying degree program for midwives at the Catholic University of Applied Sciences Mainz.
What do you want to focus on in education?
Among other things, embodiment, i.e. the interaction of body and psyche in the context of recent cognitive science, professional policy, evidence-based practice EbP or exercise in pregnancy.
And in research?
The same focus as in education as well as qualitative research with a focus on the experiences of women and families.
What advice would you give your students for their studies?
To be critical and curious. Ask as many questions as possible. Avoid people who justify their actions with "We've always done it this way".
And for their professional life?
Make sure you strike a balance between stress and relief. Be curious and open to change. Make the woman, her family and their well-being the focus of your actions. Avoid negative people. Enjoy life.
Thank you very much for the interview!
(Interview: Elena Wassmann)
