Abstract
Introduction In South Africa, the midwifery profession is divided into two categories based on training and registration with the South African Nursing Council (SANC). 1 There are registered midwives and registered midwife specialists (MS). 1 A registered midwife is a healthcare professional who is trained in a 4-year bachelor of comprehensive nursing and midwifery programme or a 3-year nursing programme with an additional 1-year midwifery training. These trainings lead to the registration as nurses and midwives. 2 The registered midwives are qualified to provide low-risk comprehensive prenatal, antenatal, intrapartum, neonatal and postnatal care. 3 A midwife specialist holds a postgraduate diploma or degree in midwifery. Therefore, a midwife specialist has a more advanced knowledge and skill set. The midwife specialists are responsible for the management of high-risk antenatal, intrapartum, neonatal and postnatal care. 3 The midwife specialists are part of the interprofessional collaborative team with the obstetricians for better maternal and neonatal outcomes. 4 The collaborative relationship between the midwife and the obstetrician is one of the long-standing interprofessional relationships in the health science sphere. 5 The obstetricians are predominantly Background: The midwife specialists (MS) are trained midwifery professionals with advanced knowledge and skills to perform interventions to respond to complicated maternal and neonatal conditions. A midwife specialist is expected to function independently and interdependently with other healthcare professionals such as obstetricians and paediatricians. However, studies have shown that the circumstances within public hospitals could be more favourable to the midwife specialist's independent and autonomous practice.