Why Use a Consultant?

Susan DeJoy, CNM (ret), PhD and Sukey Krause, CNM, MSN

One of the things people consider when they think about starting a midwifery education program is whether or not to use a consultant  What do you need a consultant for? What would they do, exactly? How do you find someone to meet your needs? How do you evaluate their expertise? And what about cost? These are all good questions.

It’s helpful to think of a consultant as a guide who is experienced on a road you have not traveled before.  The consultant knows the route, how long the journey will take, who you will meet along the way, and how to navigate the predictable bumps in the road.  She prevents you from getting lost or taking wrong turns, which can cause delays, frustration and added expense. She can also put your journey in the context of others who have traveled the road before, which provides reassurance and support.  The journey may still be challenging and long, but a good consultant makes it as easy, efficient and rewarding as possible.

A midwifery education program consultant is someone with expertise in all aspects of program development, implementation and maintenance.  They have both knowledge and, most importantly, experience in all areas you need, from a needs/readiness assessment through attaining accreditation.  Look for a consultant who has started a program themselves and/or directed one; and someone who knows how to develop academic affiliations, do financial planning/budgeting, and set up administrative structures.  Experience with recruiting and developing midwifery faculty is a must, as well as marketing the program and recruitment of recruiting students. Very importantly, a consultant must have in-depth knowledge of pre-accreditation and accreditation criteria and have successfully steered an education program through this process.  

A good consultant is also a good coach, helper, mentor, cheerleader, communicator, facilitator and resource expert.  Starting a midwifery education program is a long journey, with times of doubt, frustration and indecision. A consultant who has traveled this road before can provide realistic emotional support and encouragement in addition to expertise in how to get things done.

When considering the cost of engaging a consultant, one should also consider the cost of not using a consultant.  There is a cost to starting a program, and most of the cost is related to salaries for midwives to do the work of putting the program together.  If the midwife team has never started a program before, they will spend a lot of time ‘reinventing the wheel’. A consultant saves time and expense by giving you the tools to do things right the first time, minimizing salary expenses and time spent. In the overall cost of program start-up, consultant costs are a small percentage.