Our History
The Association was formed in 1976 by a small group of student midwives from different training schools who were alarmed by the apparent trend towards maternity nurse status in their training.
The acronym ‘ARM’ is a pun on the term ‘Artificial Rupture of Membranes’ which was routinely (over-) used at the time.
With growing support from other student midwives, qualified midwives and from women themselves that undesirable trend is at least being challenged.
ARM can feel justifiably proud to have been part of the movement towards a more caring attitude in midwifery, and to have been instrumental in helping alert our colleagues to the threatened loss of our professional independence.
The word ‘Radical’ is used in its literary meaning of relating to roots and origins, and best expresses the hopes of that early group, that midwifery could find its way back to a position where midwives’ skills were used to the full, while still taking advantage of the benefits of modern technological advances, where these are seen to be in the best interests of the woman and her child.
In other words, the hope that the true meaning of midwife (‘with woman’) will once more be realised in practice.
In other words, the hope that the true meaning of midwife (‘with woman’) will once more be realised in practice.