Susanne Armour is a lecturer and subject coordinator with the School of Nursing and Midwifery and a PhD candidate with Western Sydney University. Her PhD thesis is entitled "Support needs of midwives who care for women undergoing late termination of pregnancy in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand: A mixed methods study". Susanne has a keen research interest in perinatal grief and loss especially from the healthcare provider's perspective, workforce wellbeing and support needs, abortion stigma and contemporary nursing and midwifery education. She is a registered midwife with extensive clinical experience in a variety of settings in Germany, New Zealand and Australia. Susanne has a special clinical interest in supporting women and families through complex pregnancies. Following completion of her secondary school education in Germany Susanne completed her hospital-based midwifery training at one of Germany's oldest midwifery schools. After her move to New Zealand she completed a BHSc in Acupuncture and Diploma in Chinese Medicine and a MHSc in midwifery with first class honours. Her thesis was entitled "The lived experience of midwives caring for women facing termination of pregnancy in the late second and third trimester". 

2023-2024 Western Sydney LHD, Auburn Hospital

Clinical Midwifery Consultant Models of Care

Leading and implement change within the context of best practice clinical care and workplace culture. Coordinating practice improvement initiatives, completed improvement of bereavement care at Auburn Hospital. Designing, implementing and evaluating clinical programs, currently implementing MGP. Supporting midwifery workforce in providing skilled, evidence-based care within appropriate models of care. Motivating and engaging people in the clinical setting. Providing clinical support and guidance, policy updates and operational frameworks for new models of care. Leading, participating in and advising on clinical research as part of the Auburn research committee. Incident investigation and support with designing educational programs. District-wide engagement with midwifery leadership and wider workforce. Providing women-centred, clinical care.

2017-2023 Illawarra-Shoalhaven LHD, Wollongong Hospital

Clinical Midwife Specialist Antenatal and Postnatal

Providing care to women and families during the antenatal and postnatal period. Senior clinician in Day Assessment Unit, attending to women with increased pregnancy care needs. Focus on normalising care for women with complex needs. Relief EPAS midwife. Providing clinical support and guidance to students, new graduate midwives, orientating midwives and the wider team, facilitating safe learning in high acuity, complex care area of antenatal clinics. Participating and leading MCD. Assessor for BSL. Leading incident investigation, designing educational programs. Acting CME. Hospital- and district-wide engagement with services. Coordinating and participating in various practice improvement initiatives. Health literacy ambassador.

2014-2016 Auckland District Health Board, New Zealand

Fetal Medicine Midwife

High-risk midwife and lead maternity carer for women and families experiencing complex pregnancies due to fetal anomalies, genetic abnormalities, maternal medical conditions. Counselling of women, providing supportive grief and loss care, initiating palliative care planning, termination of pregnancy care, and care across the pregnancy continuum for ongoing pregnancies. Organising and participating in national and international multi-disciplinary team discussions, ongoing liaison with midwives and obstetricians. Facilitating MCD. Strong focus on normalising complex, high-risk processes to ensure individualised, woman-centred, safe, high-quality maternity care.