'A match made in midwifery': Women's perceptions of student midwife partnerships

Navigating interprofessional boundaries: Midwifery students in Canada

The literature on professional socialization focuses on how students adopt and internalize professional identities and values, and assumes that boundary work is essential to learning how best to practice their profession. However, a focus on boundary work in the context of midwifery training - which is embedded in the gendered and hierarchical landscape of maternity care - is lacking. Thus, this article examines how Canadian student-midwives learn to navigate and negotiate interprofessional boundaries. Grounded in a symbolic interactionist approach, it draws on 31 semi-structured qualitative interviews from a mixed-methods national study on midwifery retention, explores how midwifery students make sense of the tensions among midwives, physicians, and nurses, and describes what strategies they utilize when navigating boundaries. Our analysis, based in constructivist grounded theory, revealed that participants learned about interprofessional tensions in clinical placement encounters via direct or indirect interactions with other healthcare professionals, and that strategies to navigate these tensions included educating others about midwifery training and adopting a learner identity. This article proposes that the process of professional socialization enables to reshape professional boundaries and that students are not only learners but also agents of change. These findings may yield practical applications in health education by highlighting opportunities for improving interprofessional collaborations.

Advocacy, accountability and autonomy; the learning intention of the midwifery student continuity of care experience

PROBLEM

The Continuity of Care Experience is a mandated inclusion in midwifery education programs leading to registration as a midwife in Australia. The practice-based learning experience has evolved over time, yet there remains no standardised learning intentions, objectives, or outcomes for the model.

AIM

To identify the key learning intentions of the Continuity of Care Experience by an expert panel to support the development of learning outcomes.

METHODS

A descriptive qualitative study with two focus groups were conducted with an expert panel (n = 15). Participants were midwifery education subject matter experts on the Continuity of Care Experience with backgrounds in academia, policy development, curriculum design, accreditation, or clinical education. The discussions were transcribed and thematically analysed.

FINDINGS

Three main themes and six sub-themes describe the learning intentions of the Continuity of Care Experience. The main themes were: (1) advocacy for women; (2) accountability of care; and (3) autonomy in practice.

DISCUSSION

The education model of continuity of care enables students to develop midwifery practice that involves advocating for women, being accountable for their care and being autonomous in practice. We have established that during the experience students practice in partnership with women and are exposed to the full scope of midwifery care. Importantly students learn holistic woman-centred practice.

CONCLUSION

The learning intentions of the Continuity of Care Experience reflects woman-centred practice. Having identified a common understanding of the learning intention, these can now be used to design learning, and assessment, through the development of measurable learning outcomes.

Listening to First Nations women's voices, hearing requests for continuity of carer, trusted knowledge and family involvement: A qualitative study in urban Darwin

PROBLEM

Australian First Nations women are more likely to commence care later in pregnancy and underutilise maternal health services than non-First Nations women.

BACKGROUND

Disrespectful maternity care is a major barrier to care-seeking in pregnancy, often resulting in later commencement and underutilisation of care.

AIM

We aimed to identify barriers and enablers to pregnancy-related care-seeking for Australian First Nations women living in the Darwin region through yarning about their experiences of pregnancy care.

METHODS

Ten Australian First Nations women shared stories about their pregnancy care journeys. Yarns took place at a time and location determined by the women, with recruitment continuing until saturation was reached.

FINDINGS

Emerging themes included a desire for continuity of carer, particularly with midwives; access to trustworthy information, enabling informed decision-making; and a need to have family involved in all aspects of care. No specific barriers were identified within this cohort DISCUSSION: Universal access to continuity of carer models would provide women with the relational care they are asking for as well as address other identified needs, such as a desire for information relevant to their pregnancy; and space for partners/family members to be involved. The themes that emerged provide a picture of what a positive, respectful pregnancy care experience could be for First Nations women within the Darwin Region, thus enabling care-seeking in pregnancy.

CONCLUSION

Although the public sector and Aboriginal Controlled Community Health Organisations currently provide continuity of carer models, robust systems ensuring these models are made available to all women are lacking.

The parents are watching: Midwifery students' perceptions of how workplace bullying impacts mothers and babies

PROBLEM

Bullying in the midwifery profession has been documented and the problem is now known to extend to the poor treatment of midwifery students. In nursing, research has shown that bullying in the clinical workplace can adversely impact on quality of care. To date, no research has explored whether the bullying of midwifery students has secondary impacts on the experiences and care of mothers, babies, and their support persons.

AIM

To examine how midwifery students, who self-identify as having been bullied, perceive the repercussions on women and their families.

METHODS

This qualitative descriptive study explored 120 Australian and United Kingdom (UK) based midwifery students. Data were collected using an anonymous online qualitative survey and were thematically analysed.

FINDINGS

The findings suggest that the bullying of midwifery students impacts women and their families in a number of ways. Midwifery students perceive that mothers and babies are frequently implicated either directly or indirectly in the enactment of bullying. This can impact their safety, fractures relationships, and impairs the women's confidence in the student and the profession. Students additionally reported that women and/or their support persons can feel compelled to step in to defend and protect the student.

CONCLUSIONS

The bullying of midwifery students is perceived to place women at risk, in uncomfortable situations, damage rapport and undermines their confidence in students and the profession. This also impacts adversely on the student's ability to provide women centred care as they lose confidence in front of the woman and her family when they are bullied by registered midwives.

Feasibility of a novel framework to routinely survey women online about their continuity of care experiences with midwifery students

AIM

This study describes a novel framework used to evaluate the feasibility of an online survey to routinely collect women's feedback about their continuity of care experiences with Bachelor of Midwifery students during the clinical practicum.

BACKGROUND

The extent to which secure online platforms can efficiently distribute surveys and collect routine feedback from women receiving continuity of midwifery care experiences by Bachelor of Midwifery students needs to be effectively assessed and evaluated.

METHODS

Using a co-design approach, the teaching team, program software developers, information technology and cybersecurity experts, students, consumers and clinical placement officers were consulted in development of survey content and processes.

RESULTS

A novel framework for evaluating online surveys was developed with a focus on survey content, processes, web technology and outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

The online survey was found to be reliable, valid, reproducible, efficient and easy to access by women with a response rate of 56% achieved. Only 0.4% of surveys were opened and not completed. Accuracy of electronic addresses was increased by adding two text-match fields in the consent form and sending a confirmation email when first completed. Application of this novel framework is recommended when developing and evaluating online surveys for educational and research purposes.

The role of midwives and obstetrical nurses in the promotion of healthy lifestyle during pregnancy

Women with maternal obesity, an unhealthy lifestyle before and during pregnancy and excess gestational weight gain have an increased risk of adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes that can also increase the risk of long-term poor health for them and their children. Pregnant women have frequent medical appointments and are highly receptive to health advice. Healthcare professionals who interact with women during pregnancy are in a privileged position to support women to make lasting healthy lifestyle changes that can improve gestational weight gain and pregnancy outcomes and halt the intergenerational nature of obesity. Midwives and obstetrical nurses are key healthcare professionals responsible for providing antenatal care in most countries. Therefore, it is crucial for them to build and enhance their ability to promote healthy lifestyles in pregnant women. Undergraduate midwifery curricula usually lack sufficient lifestyle content to provide emerging midwives and obstetrical nurses with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to effectively assess and support healthy lifestyle behaviours in pregnant women. Consequently, registered midwives and obstetrical nurses may not recognise their role in healthy lifestyle promotion specific to healthy eating and physical activity in practice. In addition, practising midwives and obstetrical nurses do not consistently have access to healthy lifestyle promotion training in the workplace. Therefore, many midwives and obstetrical nurses may not have the confidence and/or skills to support pregnant women to improve their lifestyles. This narrative review summarises the role of midwives and obstetrical nurses in the promotion of healthy lifestyles relating to healthy eating and physical activity and optimising weight in pregnancy, the barriers that they face to deliver optimal care and an overview of what we know works when supporting midwives and obstetrical nurses in their role to support women in achieving a healthy lifestyle.

Continuity of care experiences: A national cross-sectional survey exploring the views and experiences of Australian students and academics

BACKGROUND

Continuity of Care Experiences (CoCEs) are a component of all entry-to-practice midwifery programs in Australia and facilitate an understanding of the central midwifery philosophy of woman-centred care and continuity of the therapeutic relationship. The aim of this research was to explore how CoCEs are viewed and experienced by students and academics across Australia.

METHODS

Students enrolled in Australian midwifery programs and academics who teach into these programs were invited to participate in a cross sectional, web-based survey. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and free text responses were analysed using content analysis.

FINDINGS

Four hundred and five students and 61 academics responded to the survey. The CoCE was viewed as a positive and unique learning experience, preparing students to work in midwifery-led continuity models and developing confidence in their midwifery role. Challenges in recruitment, participation in care, and balancing the workload with other course requirements were evident in reports from students, but less understood by academics. Significant personal impact on finances, health and wellbeing of students were also reported.

DISCUSSION

The value of CoCEs as an experiential learning opportunity is clear, however, many students report being challenged by elements of the CoCE within current models as they try to maintain study-work-life balance.

CONCLUSION

Innovative course structure that considers and embeds the CoCE requirements within the curricula, in addition to a collective commitment from regulatory bodies, the maternity care sector and Universities to facilitate CoCEs for students may address some of the significant student impacts that are reported by this research.

Clinical outcomes for women who had continuity of care experiences with midwifery students

BACKGROUND

Pre-registration midwifery students in Australia are required to engage in a minimum of ten continuity of care experiences (CoCE). Students recruit and gain consent of each woman to provide CoCE under direct supervision of a registered health professional, usually a midwife. Clinical outcomes for women who had CoCE with a midwifery student placed in a continuity of midwifery care (CMC) or fragmented models are rarely reported.

AIMS

1. analyse clinical outcomes for women experiencing CMC with CoCE by students; 2. analyse clinical outcomes for women in a fragmented care model with CoCE by students; and 3. compare clinical outcomes according to women's primary model of care.

METHODS

Students undertaking a Bachelor of Midwifery program at one Australian university recorded clinical outcomes for women experiencing CoCE during pregnancy [n=5972] and labour and birth [n=3933] in an e-portfolio. A retrospective, cohort design compared student recorded maternal data with National Core Maternity Indicators and Queensland Perinatal Data.

RESULTS

Midwifery students providing CoCE reported better or equal clinical outcomes for women compared to population data. Women receiving CoCE had reduced likelihood of tobacco smoking after 20 weeks of pregnancy, episiotomy, and third and fourth degree tears.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinical outcomes for women in fragmented models of care and receiving CoCE by undergraduate, pre-registration midwifery students are equal to or better than State data across 12 variables. CoCE should be offered to all women early in their pregnancy to ensure optimal benefits. Acknowledging midwifery students' potential to make positive impacts on women's clinical outcomes may prompt more health services to reconceptualise and foster CoCE.

A cross sectional study of midwifery students' experiences of COVID-19: Uncertainty and expendability

The impact of COVID-19 on midwifery students is anticipated to be multi-faceted. Our aim was to explore Australian midwifery students' experiences of providing maternity care during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a cross-sectional study 147 students were recruited through social media. Data were collected through an online survey and semi-structured interviews. Surveys were analysed using descriptive statistics; interviews and open text responses were interpreted through qualitative analysis. Findings revealed students found communication from hospitals and universities to be confusing, inconsistent and they relied on mass media and each other to remain updated. Moving to online learning and being isolated from peers made learning difficult. During clinical placements, students felt expendable in terms of their value and contribution, reflected in essential equipment such as personal protective equipment not always being available to them. Witnessing perceived compromised midwifery care increased students' emotional burden, while personal household responsibilities and financial concerns were problematic. One silver lining witnessed was women's appreciation of an improved ‘babymoon’, with fewer visitors, allowing uninterrupted time to establish breastfeeding and connection with their baby. Findings may guide management of midwifery education during future pandemics or health crises for universities and hospitals.

Managers' support on implementation of maternal guidelines, Limpopo province, South Africa

Background

The report of Saving Mothers indicated a decline of maternal mortality from 12.8% to 12.5% last triennium of 2017. This shows that regardless of availability of national maternal health guidelines, midwives and managers, 25% of maternal deaths were caused by preventable and avoidable factors. As such, support provided by managers is vital in promoting the utilisation of maternal guidelines.

Objectives

The objective was to determine the support offered by managers to midwives during the implementation of maternal health guidelines.

Method

The study design was cross-sectional descriptive in a quantitative domain. Simple random sampling was used to select 58 operational managers and two maternal managers. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23. Descriptive statistics provided by Microsoft Excel in the form of charts was used to describe data. Pearson’s correlation test was used to describe relationships amongst variables.

Results

The results revealed that 83.3% respondents indicated a shortage of staff to attend pregnant women. Fifty-six per cent of managers indicated that shortage of material resources contributed to substandard implementation of maternal guidelines. Supervision and monitoring of implementation of maternal guidelines was difficult as indicated by 53.3%, and 63.3% indicated lack of supervision.

Conclusion

Limited support in terms of monitoring and supervision by managers was strongly indicated as having a negative effect on implementation of maternal guidelines. Capacity building was offered; however, shortage of resources led to poor implementation of maternal guidelines by midwives.