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This is the third in a series of articles exploring experiences of engaging with interprofessional education during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article focuses on experiences of emergency remote teaching from the student perspective, considering the enablers and barriers to effective learning and taking into account the logistical, technological and theoretical considerations for facilitating an authentic learning experience in line with professional standards. A global perspective of interprofessional education during lockdown is provided through case studies, providing an opportunity to benchmark against examples of best practice to ensure online interprofessional education is successful in preparing students to work within a multiprofessional, multi-agency team to provide high-quality care through effective team working. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In its new standards for education and training, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) states that students should be 'empowered and provided with the learning opportunities they need to achieve the desired proficiencies and programme outcomes' (NMC, 2018a:5). This concept of empowerment, with students as active, rather than passive learners, will be supported by the introduction of practice assessors and supervisors, providing personalised support according to the student's proficiency and confidence. The mentor, traditionally perceived as a 'teacher', will be replaced by the practice assessor and supervisor as 'role models' and 'coaches'. A previous article in this series (Power and Jewell, 2018) looked at the introduction of a coaching model of student support in practice. This article will discuss a third-year student midwife's experiences of her final labour ward placement and her reflections on her mentor's approach to student support using the coaching model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-traumatic stress disorder was first recognised in war veterans who had experienced extreme violence during military combat; however, it is now understood to be caused by a wide range of traumatic experiences, including serious accidents, abuse, natural disasters or terrorist attacks--any event in which a person fears for their life. Traumatic childbirth is also a potential cause, not only for the mother, but also for those who may witness the birth, such as midwives, student midwives, obstetricians and birth partners. This condition is termed vicarious birth trauma. This article will examine the definition of both vicarious birth trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, and consider the evidence in relation to how these conditions affect midwives and student midwives. It will offer suggestions for personal and organisational management and support strategies, based on research findings and expert advice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1995, all pre-registration health education moved into higher education, signalling a shift from the apprenticeship model to an academic one. Since 2008, the Nursing and Midwifery Council has required all pre-registration midwifery programmes to be offered at degree level only, with a required practice-to-theory ratio of no less than 50% practice and no less than 40% theory. Individual education institutions vary in how these requirements are met in terms of learning and teaching strategies. This article explores literature in relation to the ‘learning styles’ pedagogical approach, which advocates that all students have a particular preferred learning style and will learn best if they are allowed to learn in their preferred style. The key question is: What are the most appropriate learning and teaching strategies to support student midwives to develop the skill set required to meet the demands of contemporary practice? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-registration midwifery education is vocational, requiring the teaching of specific skills and knowledge in preparation for a career as a midwife. In addition to being competent and confident in practice, student midwives are also expected to possess six fundamental values in order to deliver care of the highest quality: care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment—known as the '6Cs'. This article will outline how the University of Northampton's midwifery team and colleagues in Library and Learning Services collaborate to support student midwives in their academic journey to develop sound academic skills, thereby nurturing the 7th C: 'cleverness'. Thanks to this partnership, students are aided to pass the programme of study with a BSc (Hons) degree and enter the workforce as a committed lifelong learner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (2009) states that student midwives should seek opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge base. In the summer of 2018, two student midwives from the University of Northampton independently researched and signed up to a 2-week overseas mission trip to Kenya, with the aim of immersing themselves in a different culture to gain new knowledge and develop transferable skills to embed into their practice in the UK. Charlotte Ames and Adelle Boughen also visited a number of projects around the region supporting girls and young women who have fled their homes to escape injustices such as underage marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM) and domestic abuse. Hearing the young women's stories of bravery, resilience and optimism have had a profound effect on both Charlotte and Adelle, providing them with a new understanding of the term 'with woman' and influencing their future practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the start of the academic year, the physical signs of progression from one year to the next for student midwives include an additional stripe on an epaulette, a different coloured badge or perhaps a change of uniform. But what about emotional progression? If we think of learning as a continuum, a lifelong process of developing skills and knowledge, then the transition from one year to the next should be seamless. However, in the context of the pre-registration midwifery programme, each academic year places more complex demands on students in both theory and practice as they progress from concentrating on normality in year one, to altered health in year two, to leadership, consolidation of practice and preparation for qualification in year three. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Code requires midwives to be 'lifelong learners', basing their practice on the best available evidence—an ethos that should be embedded from day one of midwifery training. After a summer break, returning to studies and the physical and emotional demands of the pre-registration midwifery programme can be daunting; this article will provide tips for students to maintain momentum and motivation as they progress to the next year of their studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) standards state that the balance between clinical practice and theory in pre-registration midwifery programmes must be no less than 50% practice and no less than 40% theory, with students being supported by ‘midwife teachers’ and ‘midwife mentors’ (NMC, 2009:18). Midwife teachers are expected to be involved in learning and assessment in both academic and practice learning environments by engaging in activities such as link tutoring; facilitating mentor development and updates; having a part-time clinical role or being involved with practice development, midwives' continuing professional development (CPD) or practice-based research activities. Clinical practice is supervised and graded by sign-off mentors, ‘gatekeepers to the profession’ who confirm that students are clinically competent, commensurate with their level of training, and are fit for entry to the midwives' part of the register at the end of their 3-year programme of study. This article will consider the importance of a collaborative approach between universities and clinical placement providers, particularly in relation to supporting failing students as, while ‘there has to be the recognition that some students need to fail’, sometimes students just require more focused support and planning to achieve the required skills, competencies and confidence in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Royal College of Midwives estimates that there is a shortfall of approximately 3500 full-time midwives in England and, with one-third of practising midwives aged 50 or more, it is evident that recruitment and retention are key to the ongoing success of maternity services. The need for high-quality care is especially acute, given that women are presenting with increasingly complex medical, social and obstetric backgrounds. The role of higher education institutions is not only to ensure student midwives meet the requirements of the EU Directive 2005/36/EC and achieve the Nursing and Midwifery Council Standards, but also to support them to apply for jobs, navigate the recruitment process and understand their legal, ethical and professional responsibilities on qualification. This article will discuss an e-module that was introduced at the University of Northampton, entitled ‘Becoming a midwife’. This module adopted an innovative approach to learning, teaching and assessment in relation to student midwives' employability, social awareness and preparedness for professional practice on qualification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the pedagogical model used in the education of children since the 19th century (Hill, 2015), the educationalist has control and decides the content and mode of delivery, with the students as 'empty vessels' or passive recipients of information. In contrast, adult learners are self-directing, having a repertoire of experience and are internally motivated to learn subject matter that can be applied immediately (Knowles, 1998). Each student's previous experience not only makes their learning individual, but also has the potential to enrich the learning experiences of their peers and positively impact on the quality of care received by women and their babies. This article will consider the theory on how adults learn best, identifying the link between previous experience and the acquisition and application of new knowledge, and will go on to focus on the experiences of Laney Holland, a third-year student midwife, as an example of the potential for previous experiences to enhance midwives' future practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In June 2016, the UK voted to leave the European Union (EU), which will have wide ranging social, legal and constitutional implications. Although the International Confederation of Midwives has established international standards for midwifery education, education and practice are regulated through an EU directive that includes the recognition of professional qualifications that is necessary for midwives to practise anywhere within the EU. While there is uncertainty around the future political landscape post-Brexit, it is important that pre-existing professional links are protected and strengthened, providing a platform for international collaboration for professional discourse, dissemination of research findings and sharing of best practice. At the University of Northampton, this is happening through partnership with The Florence Network, which connects nurses and midwives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The standards for pre-registration midwifery education state that the practice-theory ratio of the programme should be no less than 50% practice and no less than 40% theory, adopting a variety of learning and teaching strategies, including simulation. Simulation for skills teaching has been found to bridge gaps between theory and practice, and to positively affect how prepared and confident the student midwife feels to apply knowledge and skills in the practice setting. With changes in regulation under consultation, and an ever more complex clinical environment, it is timely to revisit learning, teaching and assessment strategies in pre-registration education to ensure that they are fit for purpose. The University of Northampton’s approach to learning and teaching, termed active blended learning, is a student-centred approach to support the development of subject knowledge and understanding, independent learning, and digital fluency. This involved the modification of a traditional, four-stage, step-by-step approach to teaching clinical skills, by introducing video-assisted technology to prepare students for a summative assessment using simulation. It is anticipated that this innovative approach to the teaching of clinical skills will enhance the ‘toolkit’ of learning, teaching, and assessment strategies appropriate to contemporary midwifery preregistration education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current midwifery practice is regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), whose primary role is to safeguard the public through setting standards for education and practice and regulating fitness to practise, conduct and performance through rules and codes (NMC, 2012; 2015a). Practice is informed by evidence-based guidelines developed and implemented by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence based on hierarchies of evidence, with meta-analyses and systematic reviews being identified as the 'gold standard'. This positivist epistemological approach as developed by Auguste Comte (1798-1857), with scientific evidence at the top of a knowledge hierarchy, fails to acknowledge the 'art of midwifery', where a constructivist paradigm of experiential, intuitive and tacit knowledge is used by reflective practitioners to provide high-quality care. As midwifery pre-registration education is now degree-level, is the essence of midwifery practice being 'with woman' providing holistic care under threat, as the drive for a systematic and analytical approach to decision-making gathers momentum? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 'Clinicians in the Classroom' series of articles explored the value of expert clinicians sharing their expertise in the classroom setting (Power, 2016). One of the articles featured Tracy Rea (bereavement midwife), a regular contributor to the pre-registration midwifery programme at the University of Northampton, who invited Chris and Kate to a session to share their experiences of the loss of their son Stanley, and their subsequent pregnancy (Power and Rea, 2016). This article will follow Tracy back into the clinical area to look at her role in supporting bereaved families through subsequent pregnancies, and will include the reflections of a second-year student midwife (Sharon) who spent time with Tracy in her specialist antenatal clinic and peer support group, 'The Butterfly Group'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous articles have discussed how pre-registration midwifery education should prepare student midwives 'to cope with the complex emotional and physical demands of their chosen profession' (Power, 2016:66); acknowledged the importance of a partnership approach to education through the 'Clinicians in the Classroom' series (Power, 2016; Power and Briody, 2016; Power and Gupta, 2016; Power and Rea, 2016; Power and Rooth, 2016) and considered how best to support student midwives with appropriate learning and teaching strategies (Power and Farmer, 2017). What is yet to be considered is what extra support is available to students who have additional needs, disabilities or medical conditions that might impact on their studies. This article will take the University of Northampton as a case study and review the support services it has in place to support such students to meet their full potential. This service is called The Additional Student Support and Inclusion Services Team (ASSIST). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of staff retention in maternity services in the UK, the concept of resilience has a high profile. The ever more complex demands of contemporary midwifery practice in the UK lead some midwives to make the difficult decision to leave the profession, with the top five reasons being: dissatisfaction with staffing levels; dissatisfaction with the quality of care they were able to give; excessive workload; lack of managerial support; and poor working conditions. It is estimated that around 20% of students who commence the pre-registration midwifery programme will not qualify to become a midwife; reasons for non-completion of studies include deciding it is the wrong career choice, financial difficulties and family circumstances. Academic failure, however, is not cited as a key reason for leaving the course. This article shares the stories of three students who failed and then retook a theory module during their pre-registration midwifery programme. The students show courage in their willingness to publicly discuss their experiences; commitment to their chosen profession by retaking the module; and resilience by persevering despite the additional emotional and financial demands of their situation. A fourth student offers advice for others who might find themselves in the same situation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the point of registration, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2015) requires nurses and midwives to prioritise people, practise effectively, preserve safety and promote professionalism and trust. Registrants must ‘always practise in line with the best available evidence’ (NMC, 2015: 7), both in terms of their skills and competencies and the evidence on which their practice is based. A key aspect of a university lecturer’s role in teaching on preregistration nursing and midwifery programmes is to ensure students appreciate the link between research and practice. Student midwives and nurses must develop an understanding that gold-standard care is based on best evidence and realise that by studying research methods during their programme of study they are actually developing higher-order skills of critical thinking and decision making. Such skills are highly transferable for safe and effective clinical practice, commensurate with graduate-level programmes of study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although theoretical assessment is linear throughout the pre-registration midwifery programme, anecdotal evidence suggests there is a disproportionate increase in student midwives’ expectations as they enter their third year of study, knowing they are closer to qualification and the associated responsibilities of autonomous practice. The Nursing and Midwifery Council states that pre-registration midwifery programmes must be at least 3 years or the equivalent to 156 weeks full-time, but there is anecdotal evidence of a culture of expectation that students should be proficient from the start of their third year. This article explores the experiences and expectations of student midwives who have just commenced their final year of training and—in the context of a rising birth rate, increasing workloads and staff shortages—consider how they can be best supported by education and placement providers to successfully complete their studies and ultimately be admitted to the register. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student midwives usually begin their programme of study feeling motivated and optimistic, but there is evidence to suggest the stressors of the programme are too much for some students, leading to attrition. Given the current shortage of midwives, additional strategies are required to support student midwives to successfully complete their studies and join the workforce. Student-led societies within universities can offer a support system. A student midwife at the University of Northampton, Ilaria Grzelak, realised that ‘traditional’ student societies would not meet the specific needs of student midwives, whose course involves not only academic demands but also the challenges of clinical practice. She decided to set up a society specifically for midwifery students, which continues to benefit her fellow student midwives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry largely reminded professionals throughout health care and maternity services of the importance of safe, high-quality, care. Two labour ward matrons at an NHS Trust were inspired by the report’s recommendations to create an initiative, entitled ‘Back to Basics’, to raise standards of care and ensure best practice was recognised, maintained and disseminated. The initiative has been rolled out in their hospital and shared with first-year midwifery students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of matron was introduced to give senior midwives and nurses the authority to get the basics right. Midwifery matrons' responsibilities include providing professional leadership; ensuring that care provided on wards, in antenatal clinics and the delivery suite is high-quality and woman-centred; and handling any complaints that arise. Given the nature of this demanding role, matrons are not able to commit to facilitating student learning in the hospital environment; however, at the University of Northampton, pre-registration midwifery students in the third year of their programme have the privilege of attending sessions with a matron. Paula Briody, matron for intrapartum care at Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust, facilitates two sessions which give students the opportunity to learn about this key role in midwifery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of pre-registration midwifery education is to prepare the student for the demanding and complex role they aspire to, using a range of teaching, learning and assessment strategies both in theory and practice. This article is part of a series exploring the role of clinicians as facilitators of learning in the classroom environment. This article explores the role of the bereavement midwife and discusses a teaching session conducted by bereavement midwife Tracy Rea with second-year students on the 3-year pre-registration midwifery programme. The session included input from a couple who shared their experiences of the loss of their son and their subsequent pregnancy. The article concludes with student feedback on the session, demonstrating the deep and meaningful learning that took place and confirming the value of bringing the realities of practice into the classroom environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of the midwife is emotionally and physically challenging: birth rates are increasing, there are staff shortages and increasingly more complex cases for which to coordinate care (Royal College of Midwives (RCM), 2015). There are also professional and policy requirements to be met, all in the context of practising in line with our core value of being 'with woman' and providing her with individualised, high-quality, evidence-based care. Such demands drive some midwives to leave the profession, citing stress, burnout, compassion fatigue and emotional exhaustion as causes (Curtis et al, 2006). Others develop strategies to cope with the complex and varied stressors of the role; they demonstrate resilience. The future of maternity services in the UK is dependent on the retention of resilient midwives, so it is important that the characteristics are explored to ascertain whether resilience is a personal trait or one that can be learned. In 2013, the RCM funded the first research project in the UK to investigate resilience in midwifery (Hunter and Warren, 2013). This article will provide an overview of the clinical, professional and political stressors qualified midwives have to deal with on a daily basis in order to understand the environment student midwives are exposed to when working under the tutelage of their midwife mentor. It will consider the relevance of Hunter and Warren's (2013) findings in the context of midwifery pre-registration education, as the future of midwifery practice in the UK depends on the recruitment, retention and successful qualification of student midwives who are adequately prepared to cope with the complex emotional and physical demands of the profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since publication of the findings from the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry (Francis, 2013), which identified levels of substandard care and failings from staff in exhibiting core values such as care and compassion, it became evident that improvements in levels of care were needed. In response, Health Education England (2014) published its national values-based recruitment (VBR) framework to encourage higher education institutions to complement their existing recruitment processes with VBR, to ensure applicants to undergraduate health-care programmes, such as midwifery, demonstrate values aligning with the principles of the NHS Constitution (Department of Health, 2015). This article will discuss how the University of Northampton piloted the integration of the VBR framework into its interview process through adopting a multiple mini interview approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

October is a very busy month in the university calendar as, along with 104 other higher education institutions (HEIs) delivering approved midwifery courses (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2015a), we welcome our new cohort of students as they begin their journey to becoming a midwife and having the privilege of being 'with woman'. This article aims to provide commencing student midwives with some tips and information to help navigate the early stages of their course and ease the transition into a professional programme of study. Information is provided from the author's perspective as a senior lecturer with experience in teaching and supporting first-year students, combined with the reflections of three students who have recently completed the first year of their programme of study. The students share their thoughts on how they felt at the start of their programme and give suggestions for how to cope with its academic and clinical demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Working together for patients' is a core NHS value that aims to provide high quality care and a well-trained, cohesive workforce. Landmark reports have highlighted how poor interprofessional communication and teamwork can have devastating implications for standards of care and service user outcomes. By embedding interprofessional education (IPE) into the undergraduate curriculum, health and social care students are supported to develop the required knowledge, skills and attitudes to make a positive contribution to the interprofessional team, both as students and as qualified practitioners. This article will give an overview of the drivers for IPE in the UK and look at the challenges of developing an authentic IPE 'collaborative curriculum' using the University of Northampton as a case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic should not dictate the quality of learning opportunities and experiences, as she congratulates the midwifery cohort of September 2020 in securing a place on one of the most competitive degree programmes in Great Britain.

Midwifery pre-registration education must adopt a range of learning and teaching approaches, including simulation and clinical skills sessions, to ensure that student midwives have the required skills and competencies to be admitted to the register. Simulation and clinical skills sessions, undertaken in the ‘safe’ environment of the classroom, enhance students' understanding, confidence and skills—particularly in managing obstetric emergencies, where in practice the needs of the woman take precedence over students' learning opportunities. The unpredictability of the clinical environment may lead to students not having the opportunity to manage an obstetric emergency until after they qualify. Setting up and facilitating simulation and clinical skills sessions is time-consuming for midwifery lecturers and not best use of their expertise, which is why specialist support in the form of laboratory/clinical skills technicians is critical to the smooth running of sessions and maintenance of costly equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The midwifery preregistration programme of study is a demanding undertaking that prepares students for the stressors and complexities of the role of the qualified midwife. Additionally, there are ‘pinch points’ during each academic year, where the pressures of theory and practice assessments can lead to students feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope. While multiple submissions due on or around the same time may seem excessive, as students cannot be assessed on what they have not learned, this inevitably leads to a heavy assessment schedule towards the end of each academic year. This article will complement existing literature by suggesting selfhelp techniques such as relaxation, exercise and making use of existing support networks, along with signposting to useful online resources for students to access during particularly stressful times of their training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2013-14, 166 081 babies born in England--accounting for 26.2% of all births in the country--were born by caesarean section (Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), 2015). Epidural or caudal anaesthesia was required in 16.4% of births, while spinal anaesthetics were used in 15.1% of births (HSCIC, 2015). Support from obstetric anaesthesia services is also required in obstetric emergencies such as postpartum haemorrhage and eclampsia. Modern maternity services require a multi-professional approach to providing high-quality care, and it is therefore important that pre-registration midwifery education prepares student midwives to work in such an environment. This is the fourth in a series of articles exploring the value of expert clinicians' participation in teaching pre-registration midwifery students in the classroom setting. This article will consider sessions at the University of Northampton facilitated by Dr Kalpna Gupta, consultant anaesthetist at Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the third in a series of articles exploring expert clinicians' participation in teaching pre-registration midwifery students in the classroom setting. This article considers sessions facilitated by a consultant midwife. The role of consultant midwife was first introduced in the UK in 2000 as a senior position within maternity services to provide professional leadership and a senior level of clinical midwifery expertise. A key element of the role of the consultant midwife is education, training and development (Department of Health, 1999). A consultant midwife from Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust discusses her experience teaching pre-registration midwifery students. Feedback from students indicates that they value the input of expert clinicians into pre-registration midwifery education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depending on the structure of their curriculum, some first-year midwifery students will already be preparing for their first clinical placements. Each clinical area has its particular demands; however, for many, it is the labour ward that causes the most trepidation as it is a dynamic and unpredictable environment. Theoretical training in the first year focuses on normal birth, but things do not always go to plan and sometimes student midwives are involved in obstetric emergencies that demand prompt, effective management. This guide provides basic information on two common obstetric emergencies: shoulder dystocia and postpartum haemorrhage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2009), pre-registration midwifery programmes of study must be made up of no less than 50% practice and no less than 40% theory. The programme must also include a variety of teaching and learning strategies. Programmes of study are enhanced when midwifery teaching is complemented with input from other experts such as service users, midwives and other members of the multidisciplinary team. This is the first of a series of articles discussing teaching by a range of health professionals, each of which will include the featured professional's role and responsibilities, their motivations to teach, the topics they cover and, where appropriate, how this input is evaluated by student midwives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]