Orientation for Increased Volunteer Effectiveness with Midwives for Haiti Kelly Toner Senior Nursing Student University of Arkansas

Objectives of Presentation: My project Midwives for Haiti Sustainability and responsible volunteerism

Midwives for Haiti Video:

Midwives for Haiti: Background A non-profit organization based out of Richmond, Virginia Founded by Certified Nurse Midwives The organization provides education to Haitian nurses in providing prenatal care and skilled birth assistance to their fellow Haitian sisters. The students are precepted by volunteer Nurse Midwives from North America and Europe

Infant and Maternal Mortality in Haiti 76% of all deliveries are performed by non-qualified persons Haiti has the highest infant and maternal mortality in the Western Hemisphere The 3 rd leading cause of death in adults is maternal mortality 64% of the Haitian population lives in rural areas with limited or absolutely no access to healthcare 29% of births are attended by skilled professionals in Haiti The WHO has estimated that the knowledge and skills professional midwives have regarding prenatal care, handling complications of pregnancy and birth, and teaching nutrition has the potential to completely change these statistics Central Intelligence Agency. (2010). World Factbook: Haiti. Retrieved from: Pan American Health Organization. (2009). Haiti Country Profile. Retrieved from: World Health Organization. (2005). World Health Report 2005: Make every mother and child count. Retrieved from:

Midwives for Haiti: Beliefs Every woman deserves adequate knowledge and care to ensure a safe pregnancy and birth Even women who cannot read or write are teachable Midwivesforhaiti.org With the right training and tools, skilled birth attendants can fill the gap between traditional birth attendants and professional nurse midwives

The WHO definition of Skilled Birth Attendant The World Health Organization (2005) recommends that “for optimum safety, every woman, without exception, needs professional skilled care when giving birth, in an appropriate environment that is close to where she lives and respects her birthing culture” (p. 6). The appropriate skilled professionals include midwives or other healthcare workers skilled in midwifery. “A skilled birth attendant is an accredited health professional – such as a midwife, doctor or nurse – who has been educated and trained to proficiency in the skills needed to manage normal (uncomplicated) pregnancies, childbirth and the immediate postnatal period, and in the identification, management and referral of complications in women and newborns” (World Health Organization, 2012). World Health Organization. (2005). World Health Report 2005: Make every mother and child count. Retrieved from: World Health Organization Health services coverage statistics. Retrieved from:

Sustainability: Responsible Volunteerism Education is KEY Involve the local people Work yourself out of a job As much as possible, work with the local government Short term versus sustainable, permanent presence Trust Make sure what you are doing is culturally relevant

What’s so important about orientation? Retreat in Virginia – With growth of organization and sustainability, the volunteer role has changed – Volunteers were unsure about their role – Volunteers were unprepared for what they would see and the conditions where they would be working – Volunteers were emotionally unloading on the in-country staff Common misconceptions of volunteers Running water Delivering babies Change the world Facilities Giving handouts/emptying pockets

The Module! w.php?id=7 w.php?id=7 A big part of the module was redefining the volunteer role and preparing the volunteers with what to expect

Data collection instrument 1. On a scale of 1-5, rate how prepared you were for your volunteer experience abroad with Midwives for Haiti after completing the orientation module. (1- not prepared at all; 5-fully prepared) 2. On a scale of 1-5, rate how effective you think the orientation module was in preparing you for your experience with Midwives for Haiti. (1-not effective at all; 5-extremely effective) 3. Rank the effectiveness of the individual sections of the module using numbers from 1-“most helpful section in the module” to 6- “least helpful section in the module”. ___Introduction to Midwives for Haiti ___Your job as a volunteer ___Haitian culture ___Differences in maternal and childbirth care ___Packing list ___What to expect

4. What did you think of the time necessary to complete the module? (circle one) a. the module took far too much time to complete b. the module took an appropriate amount of time to complete c. the module took a short amount of time, and I wished there had been more material 5. Is there anything you think should be added to the orientation module in order to more fully prepare volunteers for their experiences in Haiti? 6. Is there anything that you think was unnecessarily included in the module that should be omitted in future versions of the module? 7. Any other comments or suggestions?

Response: Currently we have 3 responses – 2/3 said the module fully prepared them – The topics of the module that were most helpful included: introduction to midwives for haiti, the volunteer role, and the packing list – 2/3 said the module took too long to complete – The comments included: Difficulty moving through the sections of information Not enough emphasis in the orientation on how to be a good preceptor More emphasis on total inability to rely on technology including a review of drip rates Add a test at the end of the module to emphasize key points of information and encourage processing

Next step: This is just one step in the refining of Midwives for Haiti’s volunteer process. The next step is improving volunteer selection. Still collecting data Evaluate responses and alter the module accordingly

Resources for Further Information If you or someone you know is interested in joining with Midwives for Haiti in their work to fight infant and maternal mortality in Haiti, please see the following website: Midwivesforhaiti.org

References: Central Intelligence Agency. (2010). World Factbook: Haiti. Retreived from: world-factbook/geos/ha.html Midwives for Haiti. (2010). Midwives for Haiti. Retrieved from: Pan American Health Organization. (2009). Haiti Country Profile. Retreived from: World Health Organization. (2005). World Health Report 2005: Make every mother and child count. Retrieved from: World Health Organization Health services coverage statistics. Retrieved from: thpersonnel/en/

Questions?