Interview with midwife Corinna Zimmermann: My start with Hebamio

Sometimes life takes us down unexpected paths to exactly where we belong. This was also the case for Corinna, who actually wanted to become a teacher - and now works passionately as a freelance midwife. In this interview, she explains how her own birth experience led her to midwifery, why she opted for digital documentation early on and how Hebamio has supported her in her day-to-day practice for over four years. Corinna gives us an honest insight into her career path, her way of working and the many small functions that make her everyday life easier - an inspiring experience report for everyone who lives (or wants to live) modern midwifery.

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Introduction and background

Can you tell us something about your career? How did you get into midwifery?

For me, the desire to become a midwife came relatively late. I actually always wanted to be a teacher. In kindergarten, this desire became so strong that I started studying to become a teacher (math and technology) after graduating from high school.
My husband and I had already been together for 3 years at the time and decided that we wanted to become parents young.
So I became a mother for the first time at 21 and came into contact with this wonderful profession.
A few months after the birth of our son, I toyed with the idea of becoming a midwife and then started an internship at the maternity clinic where I gave birth myself.
This encouraged me in my desire. About 2 years after the birth of my son, I started studying midwifery and planned to give birth to my daughter at home during my studies.
By then it was clear to me that I wanted to work as a freelancer and, like my midwife, provide women with all-round obstetric care. So after my exams, I started working first in the delivery room and then a few months later as a freelancer.
And now I've been living my dream for three years, working purely freelance with home births and attended births. So all around.

You started using Hebamio straight after your training. What motivated you to use Hebamio right from the start?

It was clear to me from the start that I wanted to document digitally.
I briefly tried out another system at the same time. But Hebamio convinced me with all its functions, design and clarity.

How have you integrated Hebamio into your daily work? Are there certain functions that you use particularly often?

Where should I start?
I find it particularly practical to register the care recipients via the link.
The most important data for the care recipients is then already entered. I have the complete course planning in Hebamio. I document everything in the digital file and when I save it, it goes directly into the billing. This means I only need to check everything once when billing and then send the invoices. There are lots of typical things in the documentation that you can simply tick. If this is not enough, there are free text fields for each area where you can enter additional information.
Patients can sign the treatment contract directly on my tablet and then receive it digitally by email as a password-protected document.
This saves a lot of paper.
I send private invoices in the same way.

How does Hebamio help you keep track of your appointments, tasks and care dates?

I find the appointment calendar in Hebamio very practical. In the system, you can assign your own colors to the different appointments and also determine the standard duration of the appointments. Nevertheless, you can also change the respective appointments individually when setting them.
There is a care list in the system in which all current care recipients are sorted according to their due date or birthday. There you can also customize the colors (e.g. pregnancy, planned home birth, substitution)
I can easily see the appointments via the calendar, but the next appointments are also displayed on the start page.

Advantages of Hebamio in practice

What advantages has Hebamio brought you as a newly qualified midwife, especially in your day-to-day work?

Hebamio is simply easy. At the beginning of freelancing, everything is somehow new and it is very helpful if at least the system is simple. The QM is also fully integrated into Hebamio and only needs to be fed, many standards and guidelines are already integrated.
Hebamio also offers training courses that can help if you need it.
The system also creates the income statement, which makes it easier for you to file your annual tax return.

To what extent has Hebamio improved communication with your patients? Do you see a difference here compared to previous methods?

I can send an e-mail directly via the cockpit of the supervisees, and it is also possible to send an appointment confirmation (also possible as an automatic e-mail when setting the appointment).
I particularly like the circular e-mail function for courses. You can also upload documents to the system and then click on them when writing an e-mail and send it.

Hebamio offers various functions for documenting pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. How has this digital documentation helped you in your work so far?

There are many things that you can simply tick. You can also add your own advice points in the system. So you don't have to do much when documenting.
If you need to document more, you can do so in the comments field.

Reflection and experience

What are the biggest differences you see between using Hebamio and traditional labor methods?

I see the biggest advantage in the fact that I simply save tons of paper and always have my documentation with me. You just need to open the browser and log in and you can access Hebamio from anywhere. You don't have to carry much with you.
I really like using my tablet with keyboard for this, especially when I'm in the practice or at a home birth. Otherwise, I also like to use my cell phone, so I don't always have to take my tablet with me.

Is there a function or feature that you particularly appreciate and that has helped you a lot in your work?

What I appreciate most is the simple billing. I was a bit nervous about that when I started freelancing. Once I got to grips with it, I realized that it's really easy.

Outlook and recommendations

What would you recommend to other young midwives who are considering using Hebamio?

I would definitely recommend testing Hebamio. I believe that most people decide to use it after the test phase. That's how it was for me and I've been using it for over four years now.

Conclusion

Is there anything else you would like to share about your experience with Hebamio?

All in all, I can only recommend Hebamio. My colleagues in the practice also use it. One of them documented for years with paper and billed with a different billing system, the other has been using it from the start, just like me (she did her externship with us and got to know it there).
Hebamio makes our everyday life much easier.

End of interview

Conclusion

Corinna's story impressively shows how digital solutions such as Hebamio can not only make freelance midwifery work easier, but also enrich it. From initial documentation to billing - everything runs efficiently, clearly and saves time. This leaves more room for the essentials: providing sensitive support to families.

Curious? Then test Hebamio now without any obligation - 6 weeks free of charge.