MHH bids farewell to the first year of midwifery students.
They are the first midwives to study at MHH. Copyright: Karin Kaiser/MHH
They celebrated the first year of their training: the midwifery trainers. Copyright: Karin Kaiser/MHH
Anna Lisa Frydrich touched those present with her speech on behalf of the graduates. Copyright: Karin Kaiser/MHH
Hannover Medical School (MHH) has bid farewell to the first 20 graduates of the new, training-integrated bachelor's degree programme in midwifery. At the graduation ceremony last Friday, it was clear from all the speeches how much the first students had helped to shape and support this new course and how much they had grown together with their trainers, the midwives of MHH and the hospital association, to form a community.
‘They have given us the strength to develop, to grow in strength and to show the way forward,’ explained Professor Mechthild Groß, who was responsible for the course. They are not only the first midwives to have completed a scientific degree at MHH, but also the first graduates of this course at a university in Lower Saxony, as MHH President Professor Denise Hilfiker-Kleiner emphasised in her speech. She congratulated the young midwives on passing their exams: ‘You are now fully prepared to support families with your expertise, calmness and strength, and to respond to unforeseen situations.’
A look back: When the first students came to MHH in October 2021, the degree programme was still in its infancy. It was only in January 2020 that the Bundestag and Bundesrat had decided to implement an EU directive that midwifery training should take place at a university. It was important to MHH to be actively involved in this course of study and in the associated academisation of health professions from the very beginning. However, at the beginning there was a lack of premises for practical teaching, recalls Professor Michael Manns, MHH President at the time.
Standing ovations from the teaching team
The outgoing dean of studies, Professor Ingo Just, also played a major role in the development of the midwifery degree programme at MHH. ‘They have not only acquired the necessary knowledge, but have also developed the necessary passion for the profession of midwife, which involves so many emotional and social demands,’ he said. ‘They are now able to support families in their most vulnerable phase and keep a cool head even in challenging situations.’
Anna Lisa Frydrich, a graduate of the first year, took to the microphone to express her thanks for the ‘great course’ and the ‘fantastic training’. ‘We are grateful for all the experiences we have been able to take with us. We thank the families who placed their trust in us, the colleagues from whom we were able to learn so much, and the fellow students with whom we were able to share everything. We have become a community of friends.’ She received a standing ovation from the teaching team for her speech.
Representing the teaching staff, Simone Bätge took those present on a journey back in time to the beginnings of the course. They were nervous and excited and wondered whether their own teaching skills would be enough when they welcomed the 28 midwifery students on 1 October 2021. ‘We carried our training manikins and our teaching materials in boxes to the seminar rooms across campus together with you,’ she recalls, remembering that space was scarce at the beginning. And she also remembers how they were finally able to open the new rooms of the skills lab for midwives in March 2023 together with the Minister of Science, Falko Mohrs; in the meantime, they have even been expanded. ‘You are now our future and hope and ready to change the world, with your head, hands and heart.’ And she emphasised: ‘You are always our firstborn!’
Over the course of three and a half years, a network of clinics has been established where midwifery students complete their practical training. Many instructors congratulated their new colleagues. Speaking on behalf of the German Midwives Association, Katharina Wesely and Viola Claus paid tribute to the graduates: ‘We see here the faces of highly trained midwives who have given their all to pursue this great profession.’
Finally, Professor Groß presented each new midwife with her certificate. They also received a gift and a voucher for further training, donated by the company Rossmann. The MHH plus foundation provided financial support for the subsequent celebrations.
Text: Bettina Dunker
Fact sheet: Midwifery Science programme
Standard period of study: 7 semesters
Start: Winter semester
Main language of instruction: German
Admission: restricted
Credit points: 210 ECTS
Further information: https://www.mhh.de/hebammenwissenschaft/bachelorstudiengang