Before they begin midwifery training, aspiring midwives take courses in basic human science. While these focus on human anatomy, other courses teach basic chemistry and math. Midwifery students can usually take these prerequisites from any accredited institution. As their midwifery training begins, students learn anatomy and physiology, basic fetal development, genetic screening and applied microbiology. In applied microbiology, they learn about the role of various microorganisms in diseases.
Midwifery students take several courses on providing care to pregnant women. They learn how to screen clients for possible complications and how to deal with the complications of pregnancy, including hypertension, low-lying placenta and placenta previa. In addition, they take a course in pharmacology, where they learn about allopathic and non-allopathic drugs in pregnancy. Midwifery students also take a course in nutrition and learn which supplements to recommend to clients, along with current vitamin recommendations for pregnant women. Students are trained to identify the symptoms of malnutrition.
In this portion of their training, student midwives learn how to monitor labor and fetal progress. They also learn about risk assessment during labor and delivery. A course in risk screening teaches how to recognize possible problems, and physical assessment teaches students how to monitor cervical dilation and other ways to determine labor progress. During this time, students learn how to care for laboring women and how to comfort them and learn about pain-coping mechanisms. The pharmacology course for laboring women covers medicines used in the hospital, but also teaches students about homeopathic and herbal remedies used in out-of-hospital deliveries.
At this point, student midwives learn how to assess a postpartum woman and how to monitor her after delivery. They learn how to track vitals and what is considered normal and what signs and symptoms indicate a problem. In newborn classes, students learn risk screening and how to perform newborn tests and what to do should complications arise.