Close to women and families, close to life

What made the graduation ceremony with Dean of Studies Prof. Dr Daniela Zahn even more extraordinary this year was that for the first time, graduates from the Marburg satellite campus were also included - a first in the history of the study programme.

The period of study was eventful: from mask and testing regulations due to the pandemic at the beginning of 2022, to knowledge about birthing postures and breech deliveries, to the topics of health promotion, paediatrics and evidence-based supervision - the students learned and experienced a lot together during their years of university studies.

At this week's graduation ceremony on the campus of Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Professor Clara Eidt, Professor of Midwifery at Fulda University of Applied Sciences, emphasised: "Studying midwifery involves many formative memories - of births and touch, joy at new skills, but also moments of excessive demands and doubt. As graduates, you now have sound specialist knowledge, can act as midwives and justify your decisions - always with the women and families at the centre of your work in mind. I am convinced that your reflective thinking and diverse experiences will strengthen you and advance the development of midwifery."

"More than an academic milestone"
The Marburg satellite campus, which is part of the Fulda University of Applied Sciences, has thus successfully guided its first cohort through its university studies. "This is more than just an academic milestone - it is a clear signal that the academic training of midwives in the region continues to gain in breadth and importance," emphasised programme directors Ina Weisbecker and Professor Johanna Neumeyer. Fulda University of Applied Sciences is one of the pioneers of academic midwifery education in Germany: It has been offering the study programme Midwifery as a model course since 2012 - long before academic training became mandatory by law in 2020. With the Midwifery Reform Act, the pilot programme became the new standard.

With the degree, 50 well-qualified specialists are now leaving the university. For many families in the region, this marks the start of support in the best hands. Fittingly, programme director Ina Weisbecker emphasised at the graduation ceremony: "This day belongs to you, dear graduates - and it is well deserved. Behind you lie years of learning and long shifts, early mornings and moving moments. You have chosen a profession that accompanies people in one of the most important moments of their lives - and that is exactly what you will be from now on: a reliable, competent companion for women and families."