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2020/21 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

HECS1101 Fundamentals of Midwifery Practice

60 creditsClass Size: 85

Module manager: Emily Greasley
Email: e.greasley@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: 1 Sep to 30 Sept (13mth) View Timetable

Year running 2020/21

Pre-requisite qualifications

Entry criteria for the programme

Module replaces

HECS 1058, HECS 1059, DOME 1008, HECS 1060 from 2012

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

Students will develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide care for mothers and their fetus / babies in the antenatal and postnatal period. The focus will be on the normality of women's experiences from a physiological, psycho-social and emotional perspective. Attention will be given to the sources of knowledge and how some of this knowledge is generated using selected appropriate research methodology.

Objectives

This is the first theory and practice module in the programme that introduces students to the fundamental knowledge and skills of midwifery practice. It will include the development of generic clinical and midwifery specific skills, common midwifery terminology, definitions and assessments / screening of pregnant women, mothers and their babies. This will include the application of normal reproductive physiology. All this will be underpinned by care pathways and guidance such as National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries (CMACE) and local protocols. Students will be encouraged to develop knowledge of healthy living and apply this to childbearing women and to consider effective strategies to support positive change taking diversity and difference into account. This includes nutrition of mothers and babies with an emphasis on breast feeding promotion and support in line with the United Nations Children's Fund, United Kingdom, Breast Feeding Initiative (UNICEF UK BFI)) standards. The diverse needs of mothers and their partners will be considered in relation to family formation and parenting. Statutory and regulatory frameworks applied to midwifery will address confidentiality, data protection, record keeping, responsibility, informed consent and accountability. Students will be introduced to the application of evidence to inform practice and decision making and how services are audited and the voices of women heard.

Learning outcomes
At the end of the module students will be able to:

1. Summarise the statutory and regulatory frameworks underpinning the role and responsibilities of the midwife.

2. Recognise the diverse experiences of pregnancy and early parenthood for the perspective of women and their partners.

3. Articulate the philosophy of woman centred care / shared care and demonstrate this when working with women.

4. Apply the physiology of reproduction, normal fetal development and the early weeks of life, to the care of mothers and babies.

5. Discuss the optional nutritional needs of a mother and her baby in relation to evidence based information and how to effectively communicate this to mothers and families in supporting her diet and successful infant feeding.

6. Relate how normal care pathways, screening policies and guidelines are developed and how they inform the care of women in the antenatal and postnatal period and professional decision making.

7. Appropriately advise women on safe practices and lifestyle improvements to maximise the health and wellbeing of mother and baby.

8. Describe and understand the sources of knowledge and the hierarchy of evidence which informs midwifery theory practice and research.

9. Understand research findings underpinning midwifery practice and some methodologies and methods.

10. Describe the basic principles of medicines management, and access to appropriate sources of evidence to underpin the use of common drugs in midwifery practice.

11. Identify own strengths and learning needs through the process of reflection.

12. Meet the performance and skills outcomes in the level 1 Common Assessment Tool and the development of competence in basic clinical skills.

Skills outcomes
The development of basic clinical midwifery skills in the care of mothers and their fetus / babies in the antenatal and postnatal period under direct supervision.


Syllabus

Using the service improvement model the content has been divided under the four elements.

Service users:
Philosophy and practice of women centred care (shared decision making, partnership working, communication skills - building relationships with women, use of language, informed consent)
The voice of service users / assessing women's experiences
The social experience of preparing for pregnancy, being pregnant, changing body image and parenting including the role of the partner
Health literacy and promoting a healthy life style for pregnancy and beyond
Exploration of psychological experiences eg attachment and bonding, Motivation for becoming a parent, coping with loss and grief
Coping with the normal physical changes imposed by pregnancy and the return to a non pregnant state

Personal knowledge and skills:
Meeting diverse health and social care needs of women including those of vulnerable groups of women
Historical and contemporary context of midwifery including the impact of Feminism and midwifery
Statutory and regulatory frameworks applied to midwifery including confidentiality, data protection, record keeping, responsibility and accountability applied to midwifery.
Basic clinical skills in TPR, BP, infection control and asepsis, basic life support, moving and handling, safe disposal of equipment, intramuscular and subcutaneous injections and venepuncture
Antenatal assessment of maternal and fetal /neonatal wellbeing in the antenatal and postnatal period
Infant nutrition - breast and artificial feeding and implications for a healthy life, initiation and maintenance of lactation, supporting infant feeding, safe preparation and storage of artificial infant formulas.
Antenatal and postnatal exercises
Introduction to medicine management and appropriate sources of information including BNF
Simple calculations of common medicinal products used in antenatal and postnatal care

Process and systems:
Normal care pathways
including antenatal and newborn screening and guidelines
Physical, social and neurological development of a healthy baby
Overview of reproductive physiology including maternal adaptation to pregnancy, embryology, birth and the puerperium, menstrual cycle and how the midwife uses this information eg contraception, EDD and promoting fertility, lactation, pelvis and fetal skull
Sociological perspectives on the family
International and National Breast Feeding Codes of Practice
Informatics

Practice development:
Self refection and self awareness (Pause 2 Learn) - life long learning and self regulation
Introduction to decision making and uncertainty as an important issue in healthcare decision making
Basic principles of service audit
Types of research and their methods eg randomised controlled trials, phenomenology, data collection of views, attitudes and healthcare outcomes
Stages of the research process in healthcare
The process of evidence based practice
Reasoning processes in making decisions
Sources of knowledge with attention to epistemology, ontology and world views.
Principles of vaccination and infant programmes

Practice: In this module there are 500 hours of clinical practice spread over the academic year. Students will gain exposure to the care of women and babies in community midwifery teams and may be allocated areas within a maternity unit setting depending on learning needs.

Teaching methods

Delivery typeNumberLength hoursStudent hours
Clinical Practice7601.00760.00
Practical102.0020.00
Seminar102.0020.00
Tutorial102.0020.00
Independent online learning hours20.00
Private study hours60.00
Total Contact hours820.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)900.00

Private study

Students will be expected to use the 60 hours of private study to:
Prepare for the tutorials and inquiry based learning and reflection on practice
Complete the two theoretical assessments
Prepare for the assessment points within the Common Assessment Document for level 1

The independent online learning will focus on workbooks and activities around normal reproductive anatomy and lactation and completion of resources for student midwives produced by the Fetal Anomaly Screening website.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Theoretical progress will be monitored through participation in inquiry based learning within the tutorials. A typical example would be around the theme of routine assessment of mother/fetus/baby and antenatal screening. The example below also illustrates how key programme themes will be introduced and developed with the themes relating to research skills, decision making skills and ethics and law being fundamental to this approach. It is intended that the case scenarios are developed with input from clinical midwives to represent current practice issues.

Students are given verbal formative feedback following the IBL in the form of self and peer assessment along with key points from the facilitator in terms of areas for development and consideration. This will help the student in developing their exploration and discussion relating to screening in preparation for their written assessment.

Clinical progress will be monitored through the tripartite arrangement between students, sign-off mentors and liaison lecturers. There are three formally documented assessment points within the placement circuit for this module across year 1 culminating with the grading of practice towards the end of practice in the community setting. Action plans will be negotiated and frequently reviewed and updated as required by students and their sign-off mentors on an ongoing basis. Should there be concerns liaison lecturers will become more involved and detailed records and action plans put in place.

Reflective sessions throughout the clinical placement will assist students to make links between theory and practice.

Methods of assessment


Coursework
Assessment typeNotes% of formal assessment
Essay2,500 word essay on antenatal screening30.00
PresentationCreation of a health promotion resource and supporting oral examination30.00
Placement AssessmentGrading of Practice40.00
Written WorkCommon Assessment Document (Pass/Fail)0.00
Group ProjectFORMATIVE: from Inquiry Based Learning (IBL)0.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)100.00

Assessment details in 2020/21 are subject to PSRB (Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies) approval No compensation is permitted between all elements of assessment in this module. The health promotion resource could take the format of a poster, leaflet, app, short video relating to the promotion of health within antenatal or postnatal / neonatal care. Students will be assessed on their resource and their ability to articulate the need, purpose and evidence that has supported its design. The 2,500 word essay will address an aspect of antenatal screening for fetal anomaly. An exact date for these assessments cannot be provided. The essay occurs in the May assessment period. The presentation requires three days to hear all presentations. The students attend for the half day of their presentation so they present to approximately 8-10 peers. The grading of practice and final completion of the Common Assessment Document (CAD) 1 occurs in the last two weeks of clinical practice. To enable maximum use of clinical placements across all cohorts the times may vary from year to year. Second attempt for the essay and health promotion resource will be in the August resubmission period. Students who fail practice will normally be required to take temporary leave till this is achieved at second attempt.

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 20/08/2020

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