Midwifery Education At Risk

Midwifery education in Japan falls far short of the international standard with respect to the course requirements and the length of the clinical training. Student midwives in Japan are required to assist ten deliveries during the designated two-month clinical practicum, a difficult task to satisfy due to Japan's low birthrate. In contrast, midwifery education in Western countries takes between 12 and 48 months to finish and the E.U. standard requires students to assist at least 40 deliveries during their clinical training. Midwifery training in Japan had been traditionally offered as a non-degree certificate program at private institutions. However, four-year universities have started to offer the program as an elective program. At four-year universities, some midwifery course requirements have been deleted and the length of the clinical training has been shortened because of the congested curriculum. Serious discussion is necessary regarding the improvement of midwifery education in Japan.