How does it run?

I have just 12 weeks left.  This is an incredible thought.  I have just found out I have a job and next week we should be getting our results of our dissertation.  Eeek, reality is setting in.

Many university courses have already finished for the summer, final exams are being sat and third year students are packing up their things and going home for the last time.  The midwifery course is slightly different however.

but not for the midwifery students!

It was quite a shock to discover that I wouldn’t be getting the three month break that most students enjoy.  It does make sense though – we are training for a profession which has to be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Typically, my week is split 50% practice, 50% university study.  Instead of having blocks of 6 weeks spent in university, followed by 10 weeks in practice like some universities do, we have always had three shifts of work a week and one day in university.  I have personally found this very helpful as it means I can immediately put theory into practice.  I just know I would forget what a pregnant woman looks like if I hadn’t been at work for 6 weeks – it's bad enough coming back after two weeks of annual leave at Christmas!

Our theoretical teaching takes many forms.  We have the traditional lectures, which are like classes at school or college, but we also have seminars which are smaller group discussions about a particular topic.  As so much of what we need to learn is practical, we often have sessions in the simulation labs in which we can practice our clinical skills in a safe environment.  They are fantastically well equipped; we even have mannequins which breathe and blink! 

Fantastic facilities

There are also self-directed study days, and practice based study days run by our practice educators.

There are also many different types of assessments both in theory and practice.  We have essays, written exams, VIVAs (a spoken exam), OSCEs (a practical exam), presentations, case studies and practice assessments.  We also have a checklist of clinical skills which we need to be ‘signed off’ as competent at. 

There is a lot to think about and keep on top off throughout the training, but this is reflective of the responsibility that is involved with the role.  We are encouraged to attend clinical governance meetings and participate in audits, which are all part of the midwife’s role and something which we will need to do when we are qualified.

Another fantastic opportunity we have is the University's annual midwifery conference.  In previous years this has focused on topics such as cultural diversity and sensitivity in midwifery and communication.  I have also attended conferences run by the Royal College of Midwives which has increased my knowledge base and introduced me to a wide range of midwifery specialities.

I have found the teaching to be excellent throughout my course – the lecturers are supportive, passionate and knowledgeable and I feel fantastically prepared to enter the working world of midwifery.  See you next week!

Back to Basics

Early in November last year I attended a Midwife Study Day in London about pre-eclampsia (hosted

APEC

by APEC).  Sandwiched between the morning coffee break and lunch was a presentation about the importance of accurately measuring blood pressure and urinalysis.  Now, I can’t have been the only person who was internally rolling their eyes.  These are skills we master in our first year of training, and I was surrounded by a wealth of experienced midwives practicing in a range of clinical practice areas.  Why had we travelled all this way to be taught a basic skill by an obstetric physician who, by their own admission, probably had a hundredth of the practical experience of the delegates?

But as I listened, I realised that for as much confidence I had in my ability to accurately measure blood pressure and the optimum conditions under which to do it, there were a number of details I had forgotten.  It is like learning to drive; when you are under instruction you diligently check every blind spot before starting off, you mentally chant “only a fool breaks the two second rule” to ensure you are travelling at a safe distance from the vehicle in front, you tell yourself, “it’s a speed limit, not a speed target”. But soon after you pass your test, and once you get over the initial thrill of flying (well,

Being a midwifery student is a bit like learning to drive

driving) solo, you start to cut corners, although not literally hopefully!  You quickly glance in your mirrors (and maybe over your shoulder) before you pull out into traffic, you get slightly closer to the slow moving car in front of you, well, the speed limit is 60 down that road!

It dawned on me as I sat in that air conditioned basement of a conference room, that I was guilty of doing the same thing in my clinical practice.  Not on the big things of course, I’m not confessing negligence.  Nor am I suggesting that I know everything – far from it.  However, as I reflected, I realised how my confidence in practice may also be limiting me.  Skills like taking a blood pressure I now do without thinking, whereas I used to listen intently for the quiet dub dub dub of the heart beat.  I used to excitedly pull my sterile gloves over my shaking hands as soon as the women first involuntarily pushed, thinking the baby was imminent, but now, I wait until I see the hair on the

Midwifery 101

baby’s head before I open the delivery pack!  How many times have you driven home and as you park, realise you have no memory of the journey? 

Don't get me wrong, confidence and familiarity is a good thing.  I would be worried if I still had the apprehensions and hesitations I did in my first year, and so would my mentors and tutors!  But on the other hand, I need to ensure the care I give is still as diligent and considered as it was when I was mastering the skill. So, as I continue with my final year of study, I have made a promise to turn my focus back to basics.