Share your innovative education ideas and resources

[Sophie]

I really need to go back to basics with my staff. We have a lot of junior midwives and have lost experienced midwives. So the struggle is teaching about the diagnosis of labour. The basic care of women and babies. Its can’t be classroom based and need to be on the ground while people are working. Any ideas?

[Jane]

Ooo interesting. What are you finding is most lacking? Is it the ability to assess with more than just dilation? ie how the person is labouring, moving, vocalising etc., or is it that they are not distinguishing between latent and active labour with VEs? Or something else….? How sad that midwives aren’t learning from the more experienced midwives – that is a huge loss when there are only newer midwives on the floor.

[Jane]

So much of our work is not book learnt. The art of midwifery comes at the feet of our elder midwives who have the wisdom of experience.

How about employing more experienced, maybe retired, midwives to be supernumerary who can mentor younger midwives?

[Sophie]

Yes it’s the understanding of latent phase and progressing into labour. You’re right we are a team of mainly nqm and lack that experience as we’ve lost a lot of midwives to retirement.

[Jane]

Would the retired midwives enjoy coming back to do education days – working alongside nqm’s for a few shifts to teach? Being supernumerary?

[Hannah]

So interesting. I really feel there is a gap for academic practitioner midwives, who can support clinical practice, for real life practice based discussion and learning. Similar to staff supporting apprentices. I know this has previously been done and I’ve seen it work in other disciplines – like physiotherapy.