Birth Centre midwives Julie Pratt and Allison Davis are the first Mackay Hospital and Health Service midwives to be able to prescribe medication.
The endorsed midwives completed a Graduate Certificate in Midwifery at Flinders University, studying pharmacology and investigations and diagnostics for midwives.
Their new qualification allows them to prescribe medication for women and babies during pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period.
Ms Pratt said the medications they prescribed had to be for a pregnancy-related condition.
“For example, we can prescribe antibiotics for a urinary tract infection or contraception,” she said.
“This saves women another trip to the GP or hospital doctor to get the script. We write it there and then as required.”
Their upskilling follows a changed legislation in November 2018 to authorise midwives with additional qualifications to use them in a Queensland Health facility.
Ms Davis said the gold standard of care for pregnant women was care by a known midwife.
“Increasing our scope to prescribe medication is another way this continuity of care can be provided,” she said.
Mackay Birth Centre was the first birth centre in Queensland and celebrated 25 years this year.
