Nursing & Midwifery
Elaine Dietsch
RN
RM
PhD
MN
DipSexHlthCoun
CertChildbirthEd
Position Senior Lecturer in Nursing
Campus Wagga
Office Building 2 - Room 305
Phone (02) 6933 2782
Fax (02) 6933 2866
EMAIL STAFF MEMBER 
General Introduction
I am the midwifery course coordinator at Charles Sturt University. My midwifery and nursing clinical experience has been in rural maternity units and community health centres and as a midwifery consultant with Birth International. Ihave had the privilege of working as a midwife, early childhood nurse and in women’s and sexual health in Australia, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo (each year I spend time with women and midwives in Africa in a short-term voluntary capacity). As midwifery academics in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, we believe it is essential to maintain our ‘hands on’ midwifery skills and commit to attending a minimum of 20 clinical days per year.
My clinical midwifery involves working primarily with the women and young Congolese girls who have survived sexual assault and torture in this beautiful but war-ravaged country. Many of these women and adolescent girls conceive when they are repeatedly raped by multiple rebels and militia men. The babies, though loved and cherished by their mothers and the women in their communities are often referred to as the “souvenirs of bad memories”. The women I work with each year have pleaded with me to tell their stories to people in Australia. For this reason, I am available to speak with individuals, the media and community groups who invite me to share about life in the Democratic Republic of Congo with them.
Our midwifery research team focuses on the needs of women living in rural and remote Australia. Through research and midwifery education we unashamedly work towards helping to ensure all women have the choice of access to midwifery led services, independent of their post code!
Having completed all of my post-registration qualifications by Distance Education, I am well aware of the perils, pitfalls and pleasures of this mode of study. This probably explains the reason why I so much enjoy working with undergraduate and postgraduate students engaged in distance education.
Qualifications
- Dr of Philosophy - 2003 - Thesis title: The 'lived experience' of women with a cervical screening detected abnormality: A phenomenological study. Charles Sturt University, Panorama Ave, Bathurst
- Master of Nursing (Women's Health)- 1998 - Dissertation title: Towards an evidence-based understanding of vaginismus. University of New England, Mossman St, Armidale
- Diploma of Sexual Health Counselling - 1994 - Australasian College of Venereologists (ACV) and the Australian Society for Sex Educators, Researchers and Therapists (ASSERT). Sydney Sexual Health Centre, Sydney Hospital, GPO Box 1614, Sydney 2000
- Advanced Nursing Studies (Women's Health) - 1990 -(now known as the Graduate Certificate in Women's Health) NSW College of Nursing, Hereford St, Glebe 2037
- Women's Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate - 1990 - NSW Family Planning Association, Broadway, Sydney 2000
- Theory and Practice of Fertility Regulation Certificate - 1989 - (now known as the Sexual and Reproductive Health Certificate) NSW Family Planning Association, Broadway, Sydney 2000
- Midwifery Certificate - 1977 - The Canterbury Hospital, Canterbury Rd, Canterbury 2193
- General Nursing Certificate - 1976 - St George Hospital, Grey St, Kogarah 2217
- Advanced Support in Obstetrics (ALSO) Certificate - 2006, Canberra
- Mothercraft Certificate - 1987 - Department of Health, South West Region, Wagga Wagga 2650
- Advanced Childbirth Education Certificate - 1983 - Parents Centres Australia, Hereford St, Forest Lodge, 2037
- Certificate in Childbirth Education - 1978 - Parents Centres Australia, Hereford St, Forest Lodge, 2037
Teaching Interests
- Midwifery
- Women's Health
- Sexual Health
- Community Development
Research Interests
- Midwifery
- Women's Health
- Sexual Health
- Qualitative Research Methods - especially phenomenology and critical methodologies
- Key Researcher with the Centre for Inland Health
Current Research Projects
- Heading the CSU Midwifery Research team in their Nurses and Midwives Board Funded Project, "Women's Experiences of Birthing Away from their Rural and Remote NSW Communities"
- Collabrative project with Dr Luc Mulimbalimba-Masururu, "The Experience of being a traditional midwife (TM) and the impact of AusAID funded resources on TM practice".
Current higher degree research student supervision projects related to
- Experiences of couples who have a lethal fetal anomaly diagnosed in pregnancy
- Obstetric Ultrasound
- The meaning of parenting in vulnerable families
- Sub-Saharan African women's experiences of maternity services in Australia
- Prevention of falls in Nicaraguan communities
- Youth vulnerability
Memberships
- Association for Australian Rural Nurses and Midwives (AARNM)
- Australian College of Midwives Inc. (ACMI)
- Australian Health Professionals Abroad
- Australian Women's Health Nurses Association (AWHNA)
- Birth International
- Centre for Rural Social Research (CRSR)
- Maternity Coalition
- National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU)
- Research into Professional Practice, Learning and Education (RIPPLE)
Professional Activities
- Working in the Democratic Republic of Congo and on the Kenyan / Ugandan border each year with women, traditional midwives and health professionals
- Editorial Board of Midwifery Matters (Journal of the NSW Midwives Association, Branch of the ACMI)
- Nurses and Midwives Board of NSW, Midwives Practice Committee
- Nurses and Midwives Board of NSW, Research and Development Scholarship Committee
Professional Referee for the following scholarly journals:
- Australian Journal of Rural Health
- Journal of the International Society for Preventative Oncology
- The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynacology Research
- Electronic Journal of Rural and Remote Health
Career Highlights
Awards and Scholarships
- 2009 - Research Fellowship with the Centre for Inland Health. International research collaboration in Africa and with the UBC Rural and Remote Health Research Network (Vancouver, Canada).
- 2007 - Nurses and Midwives Board of NSW – Category 5 Research Scholarship. Women’s Experiences of Birthing Away from their Rural and Remote NSW Communities.
- 2000 - 2004 - 2000 Mitchellsearch Grant – Awarded for ‘academic scholarship, motivation, and evidence of leadership qualities in university life and the community and the nature and purpose of the research project’ (PhD candidate)Charles Sturt University Bathurst
- 1997 -Clinical Nurse Consultancy service identified as a model of best practice in the NSW Health (1997) Evaluation of the NSW National Women’s Health Program
- 1994 - Women’s health nursing practice recognised as an example of best clinical practice written up as Influencing the mainstream in the National Women’s Health Program document, The Power to change, pp. 18 – 19.
- 1994 - Derek Richardson Memorial Prize– for outstanding work in the Diploma of Sexual Health Counselling.Australasian College of Venereologists and ASSERT (Australian Society for Sex Educators, Researchers and Therapists).
- 1990 - New South Wales Nurses Registration Board International Conference Scholarship
Nurses Registration Board of NSWHaymarket Sydney 2000
Publications
Submissions
- Federal Government Review of Maternity Services Elaine’s submission can be viewed at http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/maternityservicesreview-463
- The Review of Maternity Services can by found at http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/maternityservicesreview
Competitive Funding secured for research / projects
- 2006 (for 2007 project) Dietsch, E; Davies, C; Shackleton, P; McLeod, M; Forde, S & Alston, M 2006-2007, Women's Experiences of birthing away form their rural / remote NSW community. $26, 604 secured from the Nurses and Midwives Board of NSW
- 2005 Francis, F; Chapman, Y; Sellick, K; McIntyre, M; McKenna, L; Dietsch, E & Shackleton, P 2005, The experience of intellectually disabled rural women during pregnancy and childbirth ($8975 Apex Research Grant)
- 2004 CSU Writing-Up Grant to enable publication of papers from PhD thesis ($4000)
- 1998 - 2000 Dietsch, E. The ‘lived experience’ of women having a cervical screening detected abnormality: a phenomenological study. $10,000 Research grant for project from the National Women’s Health Program.
- 1997-1998 Dietsch, E. (Coordinator for the GMAHS Women’s Health Team) Development of Koori Women’s Health Promotion materials. $10,000 grant for project from the National Women’s Health Program.
Book Chapter
- Alston, M & Dietsch, E 2008, 'Collaborative Healthcare practice within the rural context', in Healthcare Practice and Policy in Australia, S. Taylor, M. Foster & J. Fleming (eds), Oxford University Press, Sydney PP. 185 - 201.
- Dietsch, E 1992,Sexual and reproductive health services for women in a rural nursing practice: working for great beginnings. In Smith, A. (ed). Women’s Health in Australia. University of New England: Armidale, pp. 35 – 49.
Journal Articles
- Dietsch, E., Shackleton, P., Davies, C., Alston, M. & McLeod, M. (in press). ‘You can drop dead’: Midwives bullying women’. Women and Birth, DOI: 10.1016/j.wombi.2009.07.002
- Shackleton, P & Dietsch, E. 2009. ‘Midwifery partnerships: It takes two to tango’ The Australasian Journal of Community Engagement e-journal . July 2009
- Alston, M., Dietsch, E., Davies, C., Shackleton, P. & McLeod, M. 2009. ‘The Bush, Birthing and the Baby Bonus’. Just Policy: A Journal of Australian Social Policy, 50, pp. 9 – 16.
- Dietsch, E & Mulimbalimba Masururu, L 2007, 'Women from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) share their stories of survival', Midwifery Matters, vol 25, no. 3, pp. 22 - 25.
- Dietsch, E & Davies, C 2007, 'The Nocebo effect for women in waiting, Collegian, vol. 14, no, 3, pp. 9 - 14.
- Dietsch, E & Mulimbalimba-Masururu, L 2006, ‘We ask that the world please hear us … Women from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) share their stories of survival’, MIDIRS 16,4, pp. 467 - 469
- Dietsch, E 2006, ‘Service-based research: is it feasible? Is it ethical? Is it really research?’ in Voice, Identity & Reflexivity, Proceedings of the Second RIPPLE Qualitative Research as Interpretive Practice Conference, Edited by Gail Whiteford, pp. 127 - 133.
- Dietsch, E 2006, ‘Women defining themselves: shared stories of private hell, Contemporary Nurse, 21, 2, pp. 165 -1 74.
- Alston, M, Allan, J, Dietsch, E, Wilkinson, J, Shankar, J, Osburn, L, Bell, K, Muenstermann, I, Georgias, D, Moore, E, Jennett, C, Ritter, L, Gibson, R, Wallace, J, Harris, J & Grantley, J 2006, ‘Brutal neglect: Australian rural women’s access to health services’ Rural and Remote Health, 6, 475 (Online)
- Dietsch, E 2005,.Excellence in Adversity: a story of a Kenyan birth attendant. Invited paper MIDIRS (Midwives Information and Resource Service), 15: 4, pp.478 – 482.
- Dietsch, E. ‘Midwives working with women who have survived sexual assault’. Accepted, presented and published, International Confederation of Midwives Conference, Brisbane, July 2005.
- Dietsch, E, ‘Strength, Resilience and Inspiration: A story of Midwifery in Rural Kenya’, The Rural Nurse, 13, 1, pp: 12 – 13.
- Dietsch, E., Gibb, H. & Francis, K. The abnormal Pap test and the rurality factor. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 11, 2, pp. 50 - 57
- Waterhouse, A., Dietsch, E. & Francis, K. All in the same boat: A phenomenological study of carers. Geriaction, 20 (4), pp. 5 - 8.
- Dietsch, E. Being with rural women: lost opportunities. Midwifery Matters, 20 (1), pp. 26 – 27
- Dietsch, E. Prenatal testing: To risk or not to risk? Online Birth International. http://www.acegraphics.com.au/resource/papers/dietsch01
- Dietsch E., Gibb, H. & Francis, K. The risk of rurality. 6th National Rural Health Conference, Good Health ~ Good Country from conception to completion. Conference Proceedings, March 2001, Canberra.
- Dietsch, E. Towards an evidence based understanding of vaginismus. International Journal of Venereology, 10, (4), pp. 250 – 256.
- Dietsch, E. Sexual perceptions of an older woman. International Journal of Venereology, 8, (3), pp. 174 – 176.
- Dietsch, E. Is it pathological to be female? Oestrogen deficiency symptoms in 847 women aged 15 – 69 years. The Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 12, (2), pp. 8 – 13.
- Dietsch, E. Sexual and reproductive health services for women in a rural nursing practice: working for great beginnings. In Smith, A. (ed). Women’s Health in Australia. University of New England: Armidale, pp. 35 – 49.
Conference Papers
- Shackleton, P & Dietsch, E. 2009. ‘Midwifery Partnerships: It takes two to Tango! National AUCEA (Australian Universities Community Engagement Alliance) Conference: Strategic Directions in Regional Engagement. Business, Industry and Community Partnerships. Whyalla, July 2009.
- Dietsch, E., Shackleton, P., Davies, C., Alston, M. & McLeod, M. 2009. ‘I wouldn’t build a shed if I wasn’t going to use it’: Women in rural and remote NSW share their experiences of being forced to travel to larger centres to birth’. Australian Association of Neonatal Nurses 22nd State Conference, Wagga Wagga, June 2009.
- Caldwell, J., Dietsch, E. & Mackey, S. 2008. ‘Recognising Parenting Strengths in vulnerable families: A Critical Ethnomethodological Study’, International Conference: Reaching Out to Vulnerable Families, Queen Elizabeth Centre, Melbourne, November 2008.
- Dietsch, E., Davies, C., Shackleton, P., Alston, M. & McLeod, M. 2008, Women in Rural and Remote NSW call for a stop to maternity unit closures’. 14th National Australian Rural Nurses and Midwives Conference, Adelaide, November 2008.
- Dietsch, E 2008, ‘Torture, Courage and Hope’, Midwives Conference Sydney, March 2008
- Dietsch, E 2008, 'Torture, Courage and Hope', Midwives Conference Sydney, 7.3.08
- Dietsch, E 2007, ' Midwifery issues in the Democratic Republic of Congo', Australian Nurses Teachers Society Conference, Wagga Wagga, 1.9.07
- Caldwell, J, Dietsch, E & Mackey, S 2007, 'Promoting Effective Partnerships to achieve better outcomes; Children, Families and their community, 1st Sigma Theta Tau Honour Society of Nursing International Conference, Singapore, July 2007.
- De-Vitry Smith, S & Dietsch, E 2006, ’The Rise of the Tentative Pregnancy’, International Congress on Women’s Health Issues, Sydney, November 2006.
- Dietsch, E 2006, ‘No longer silenced’ Mentoring for Women Conference, CSO, Wagga Wagga, 2.11.06
- Dietsch, E. ‘Service-based Research’. Accepted and presented Qualitative Research In Practice Conference, Albury, September 2005.
- Dietsch, E. ‘Midwives working with women who have survived sexual assault’. Accepted, presented and published, International Confederation of Midwives Conference, Brisbane, July 2005.
- Dietsch, E. , Gibb, H., Francis, K. Past Traumas Reawakened by Abnormal Pap Test Results (Keynote speaker)
Refresh: Sexual Health and Women’s Health Nurse Associations Sixth National Conference., Sydney, October 2003. - Dietsch, E. , Gibb, H., Francis, K. Shared Stories of private trauma. 12th International Violence Against Women Conference., Adelaide, June 2003.
- Dietsch, E., Gibb, H., Francis, K. Women's Health Nurses Reducing the Nocebo Effect. Rural Women's Health Nurses Conference, Dubbo, September 2002.
- Dietsch, E., Gibb, H., Francis, K. The Nocebo Effect. Reproductive Sciences Conference, Braver New World, Sydney, March 2002.
- Dietsch, E., Gibb, H., Francis, K. Reducing the Rurality Risk. Annual National Women’s and Sexual Nurses Conference, Canberra, November 2001.
- Dietsch, E. Breastfeeding, what’s in it for mums? Australian Breastfeeding Association NSW & ACT Conference, Wagga Wagga, October 2001.
- Dietsch, E., Gibb, H., Francis, K. The rural and remote nurses role in reducing the ‘rurality risk’ for women. 9th Annual Conference of the Association for Australian Rural Nurses National Conference, Canberra, March 2001.
- Dietsch, E. Midwifery Symposium. 9th Annual Conference of the Association for Australian Rural Nurses National Conference, Canberra, March 2001.
- Dietsch, E. Our Sexuality doesn’t have a ‘use-by’ date! Annual National Conference for Women’s and Sexual Health Nurses, Sydney, 1999
- Dietsch, E. Sexuality and Ageing. 7th Australian Rural and Remote Nurses National Conference, Adelaide, March 1999.
- Dietsch, E. Opening Address and paper, Sexuality. GMAHS Women’s Health Forum, Culcairn, 1998.
- Dietsch, E. Sexual Perceptions of an older woman. Annual National Conference for Women’s and Sexual Health Nurses, Sydney, 1996
- Dietsch, E. Keynote presentation: Primary sexual health care for and by women! 3rd National Rural Health Conference, Mount Beauty, 1995
- Dietsch, E. Keynote speaker: Our sexuality, it’s precious! National Conference – Women on the Land Gathering, Yanco, 1995
- Dietsch, E. To HRT or not to HRT! Australian Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Conference, Sydney, 1992
- Sebastian, E., Heywood, A., Dietsch, E. A day in the life of a rural Australian Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. Photographic Display International Women’s Health Conference, Denmark, 1992
- Dietsch, E. Primary Health Care for women: development and diversity. National Primary Health Care Conference, Sydney, 1991
- Dietsch, E. Primary Health Care for women and by women. Health for all by the Year 2000: International Primary Health Care Conference, Rockhampton, 1990
Seminars, media presentations and workshops presented
- Multiple radio, television and newspaper interviews / articles, public lectures, professional seminars and community speaking engagements relating to continuing research and Faculty Practice in Africa. 2005 and continuing
- Dietsch, E., Gibb, H., Francis, K. Women defining themselves: Shared stories of private lives. School of Clinical Sciences, Research Seminar, Wagga Wagga, 2002
- Dietsch, E. , Gibb, H., Francis, K. The Nocebo Effect. Graduate Seminar, University of Technology, Sydney, 2001
- Dietsch, E. , Gibb, H., Francis, K. Gadamerian Hermeneutic Phenomenology, School of Clinical Sciences, Research Seminar for PhD candidates, Wagga Wagga, 2001
- Dietsch, E., Gibb, H., Francis, K. The Nocebo Effect. School of Clinical Sciences, Research Seminar, Wagga Wagga, 2001
- Dietsch, E. , Gibb, H., Francis, K. The PhD process – time management and survival. School of Clinical Sciences, Research Seminar for PhD candidates, Wagga Wagga,2001
- Dietsch, E. , Gibb, H., Francis, K. An abnormal Pap test result: the woman’s experience. Workshop for GMAHS Clinical Nurse Specialists in Women’s and Sexual Health, Albury, 2000.
- Dietsch, E. Prioritising women’s health nurse services for those at greatest risk. Workshop for the GMAHS Cervical Screening Program committee, Lockhart, 2000
- Dietsch, E. Breastfeeding and relationships. Nursing Mothers Association of Australia seminar, Leeton, 1999
- Dietsch, E. The nurses role in reducing the incidence and impact of vaginismus. Workshop for GMAHS Clinical Nurse Specialists in Women’s and Sexual Health, Albury 1998.
- Dietsch, E. Clinical career progression. Workshop for GMAHS Audiometry Nurses, Narrandera, 1997
- Dietsch, E. The advantages of breastfeeding for the mum! Nursing Mothers Association of Australia seminar, Leeton, 1997
- Dietsch, E. Two workshops per year presented to GMAHS Clinical Nurse Specialists in Women’s and Sexual Health, 1990 -1997