Midwife assistants.

The Licensed Midwifery Practice Act of 1993 provides for the licensing and regulation of midwives by the Medical Board of California. The license to practice midwifery authorizes the holder to attend cases of normal childbirth and to provide prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care, including family planning care, for the mother, and immediate care for the newborn. The Licensed Midwifery Practice Act of 1993 requires a midwife to refer to a physician and surgeon under prescribed circumstances. A violation of the Licensed Midwifery Practice Act of 1993 is a crime. The Nursing Practice Act provides for the licensure and regulation of the practice of nursing by the Board of Registered Nursing and authorizes the board to issue a certificate to practice nurse-midwifery to a person who meets educational standards established by the board or the equivalent of those educational standards. The Nursing Practice Act authorizes a certified nurse-midwife, under the supervision of a licensed physician and surgeon, to attend cases of normal childbirth and to provide prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care, including family-planning care, for the mother, and immediate care for the newborn, and provides that the practice of nurse-midwifery constitutes the furthering or undertaking by a certified person, under the supervision of a licensed physician and surgeon who has current practice or training in obstetrics, to assist a woman in childbirth so long as progress meets criteria accepted as normal. This bill would authorize a midwife assistant to perform certain assistive activities under the supervision of a licensed midwife or certified nurse-midwife, including the administration of medicine, the withdrawing of blood, and midwife technical support services. The bill would define terms for these purposes. The bill would prohibit a midwife assistant from being employed for inpatient care in a licensed general acute care hospital. By adding new requirements and prohibitions to the Licensed Midwifery Practice Act of 1993, the violation of which would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.