Webinar Description

During this session, participants will be introduced to the new ACM position statement on Midwife-Performed Ultrasound. This will be followed by insights from five leaders across Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales, representing a range of perspectives from research, public hospital services, and private practice.

The session will also explore the scope of midwife-performed ultrasound in rural and remote settings, as well as within early pregnancy care contexts. The webinar will conclude with a panel discussion, hosted by ACM Midwifery Advisor, Eleanor Tomlinson. Participants are encouraged to submit questions in advance when they register.

Link to ACM Position Statement on Midwife performed ultrasound. 

Time: 14:00 in NSW, VIC, QLD & TAS | 13:30 in SA& NT  | 12:00 in WA

Presenter

Professor Nayana Parange

Professor Nayana Parange is the Professor of Medical Sonography at Adelaide University. She holds qualifications in medicine, specialist training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, ultrasound, and education and a PhD. She is active in teaching, research, industry and community engagement and is a leading expert internationally in clinical ultrasound training in diverse settings, ranging from primary health care to tertiary maternal-fetal medicine setting. Prof Parange is committed to research, with a focus on promoting health equity, to ensure that all individuals have access to the resources, services and support they need to live healthy and fulfilling lives. She is dedicated to exploring new ideas and approaches to improving clinical practice and clinical education using evidence-based practice to ensure development of safe and competent practitioners. She is instrumental in the development and delivery of ultrasound workshops on site and mentored trainers to teach life-saving point-of-care-ultrasound diagnostic skills to midwives and doctors across many LMIC countries. The aim of these educational initiatives is to improve antenatal care in regional and remote communities to help reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes and thereby reduce maternal fetal mortality in regional, remote communities within Australia and developing countries.

Amber Bidner

Amber Bidner is a clinician academic with over 15 years’ experience as a Registered Nurse and Nuclear Medicine Scientist. Since 2016, she has worked in teaching and research at UniSA, earning recognition including an HEA Associate Fellowship (2019), the 2021 AFG Diamond Jubilee Scholarship, and the 2022 SA Women in Innovation Award. She is currently completing a PhD at Adelaide University and managing the Healthy Newborn Project, researching antenatal point of care ultrasound training for non imaging clinicians in rural and remote Australia.

Nicole Freeman

Nicole is a midwife with over 30 years of experience across a range of clinical and academic settings. She currently works in the Early Pregnancy Assessment Service at King Edward Memorial Hospital in Perth, supporting women and families experiencing early pregnancy complications and loss. She recently completed her PhD exploring midwifery practice in acute early pregnancy care and is a national advocate for expanding midwifery scope in this area. Nicole’s research interests include preconception and early pregnancy care, pregnancy after loss, bereavement, and continuity of care.

Michelle Harding

Michelle is a registered midwife with 20 years of experience in maternity care, spanning both clinical practice and leadership roles at University Hospital Geelong. For 7 years, she managed the Birth Suite and Maternity Assessment Unit. During this time, she played a key role in implementing third-trimester basic ultrasound for midwives, in collaboration with the hospital’s chief sonographers and the Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine. The service she helped implement was recognised with a Barwon Best Care Award for its impact and innovation in maternity care. Michelle has since returned to a clinical position, working across the core Birth Suite and Maternity Assessment Unit. She is also currently undertaking the course that she helped implement, to independently perform third-trimester ultrasound.

Lindsay Coward

Lindsay Coward is a privately practising Endorsed Midwife working across the Albury-Wodonga region on the lands of the Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta peoples. She is passionate about holistic, woman-centred maternity and reproductive healthcare, with a focus on early pregnancy support, continuity of carer and improving access to miscarriage and pregnancy options services across her regional community. Lindsay established a midwife-led Early Pregnancy Assessment Service and has championed the use of midwife-performed ultrasound to support timely, compassionate early pregnancy care.

Qualify for CPD Hours

1 CPD hour