Clinical Skills Development Service

A busy season for CSDS’s Maternity Education Team

The past few months have been incredibly active for our Maternity Education team! From delivering essential training to engaging with colleagues at various conferences and forums, the team has been advancing clinical skills and knowledge in maternity care with passion and dedication.

At the national Australian College of Midwives (ACM) Conference, Ms Megan Barker and Dr Lisa Peberdy presented on “Improving Access to Water Immersion for Labour and Birth.” Their session was so popular that the breakout room was filled to capacity, with attendees sitting on the floor and leaning against the walls to hear them speak.

A highlight of the event was the attendance of the manager and midwives from Papua New Guinea (PNG), who have benefited from Dr Peberdy’s ongoing mentorship. As they plan the design of a new hospital in PNG, they were inspired by the evidence shared on the benefits of water immersion for both the safety and support of women and babies. They committed to adding birth pools to the hospital’s birthing suites and plan to use CSDS’s resources to help their midwives offer water immersion to the women of PNG.


The CSDS booth at the Metro North Midwifery Forum was a hub of activity, with attendees engaging in discussions and exploring photographs of the CSDS facilities alongside images of our team delivering Regional, Rural, and Remote Maternity Emergency Program courses.

Additionally, attendees had the unique opportunity to observe a simulated breech birth using our ‘Sophie & Sophie’s Mom’ part-task trainer. This simulation sparked discussions on the safety of breech births and the concerning trend of deskilling clinicians over the past few decades. Through our Maternity Emergency Program (MEP) courses, we’re addressing this issue by helping to reskill clinicians via hands-on skill stations and realistic simulation scenarios, empowering them to confidently handle such cases.

Mary-Ellen Russelhuber CMCF Simulation Co-ordinator CSDS and Jessica Pope A/Program Director QLD Maternity Education CSDS at Metro North Midwifery Forum 2024

The CSDS Maternity Education Team remains committed to supporting the professional growth of healthcare providers and looks forward to seeing even more clinicians enhance their expertise through our upcoming courses.

Visit the Maternity Courses catalogue here.