MIDWIFERY PRACTICE 1 - 2025/6

Module Overview

This module is a year-long module that integrates theory and practice within university learning blocks and placement learning blocks. It offers a sequential learning experience that enables students to build and develop knowledge skills and behaviour¿s required to deliver evidence-based person-centred midwifery care. This will enable the students to start demonstrating professional values, understanding how dignity and respect influence patient interaction in accordance with their code of conduct. It will introduce them to a range of assessment skills within a simulated environment utilising health care equipment and will enable them to develop team working and problem-solving skills using effective professional communication using series of dynamic learning experiences.

In addition to interprofessional learning with nursing and paramedic students there will be weekly opportunities whilst in theory blocks for midwifery students to develop a professional identity through facilitated sessions focusing on the midwifery specific elements of the programme.

Module provider

School of Health Sciences

Module Leader

THORPE Suzie (Health Sci.)

Number of Credits: 0

ECTS Credits: 0

Framework: FHEQ Level 4

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Crosses academic years

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Domain 1: Being an accountable, autonomous, professional midwife:

• Evidence base underpinning clinical decision-making and clinical practice


• Holistic assessment in relation to one’s own practice


• Professional values, dignity and respect


• Caring in the professional context


• Theories and Philosophies of Caring


• Professional Codes of Conduct


• The Service Users’ Perspective


• Health Care Ethics

• The social determinates of health, illness and health inequalities


• Health Promotion and behaviour change


• Motivation and empowerment tools and strategies in relation behaviour change models


• Models of care, place of birth

• Safe and effective professional communication


• The structure and functions of the body systems


• Preconception care, health promotion and holistic assessment


• Antenatal education, informed choice and decision making


• Fetal development, embryology, screening


• A range of clinical skills in a simulated environment utilising a range of health care equipment


• Physical assessment (A-E)


• Physiology and management of pregnancy, labour and postnatal period


• Infant feeding


• Keeping babies safe, introduction to examination of the newborn


• Pharmacology

• Risk assessment and the role it plays in maintaining patient safety


• Safeguarding Vulnerable People


• End of life care

• Inter professional and interagency working


• Team working, and problem-solving skills


• Management of Stress


• Introduction to Research & Evidence Based Practice


• Literature Searching

• The structure and functions of the body systems


• Key concepts of anatomy and physiology of human body


• Understanding of physiological measurements in clinical practice


• Physical assessment (A-E)


• Holistic assessment in relation to one’s own practice


• Team working, and problem-solving skills


• Safe and effective professional communication


• Inter professional and interagency working


• Evidence base underpinning clinical decision-making and clinical practice


• Risk assessment and the role it plays in maintaining patient safety


• Safeguarding Vulnerable People


• Professional Codes of Conduct


• Professional values, dignity and respect


• Theories and Philosophies of Caring & caring in the professional context


• Health Care Ethics Part 1


• Ethical issues associated with health promotion


• The Service Users’ Perspective


• Management of Stress


• Introduction to Research & Evidence Based Practice


• Literature Searching


• Health promotion across the lifespan


• The Principles and Priorities of Public Health including current legislation and policy in relation to identified areas of health need and inequalities


• The social determinates of health, illness and health inequalities


• Health Promotion and behaviour change


• Motivation and empowerment tools and strategies in relation behaviour change models


• Introduction to end of life care

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

None

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate an understanding of person-centred care, communication and assessment skills. They will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the underpinning physical and psychosocial concepts which promote health and wellbeing within a range of social and healthcare contexts. It will provide them with the skills to review and assess the evidence which underpins practice.

Theoretical, university-based assessment will occur alongside practice-based proficiency assessment using the practice-based assessment documentation (MORA) to achieve the criteria, set by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2019). Progression will be confirmed by the Practice Assessor and the assigned Academic Assessor.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Summative 1: Annotated bibliography 4 entry (3000 words) Midwifery related scenario based


• Summative 2: Case Study Part 1 (1500 words). Related to understanding normal midwifery including physiology, anatomy, psychological context)


• Summative 3: Case Study Part 2 (1500 words). Related to understanding normal midwifery practice including care planning


• Summative 4: VIVA/OSCE (10 station) – station examples:
  
  
  
  • Infection control
  
  
  • Handwashing
  
  
  • Pharmacology
  
  
  • Communication – informed consent, choices and screening
  
  
  • AN abdominal palpation
  
  
  • Observations and record
  
  
  • Baby check - skins
  
  
  • Baby check – red eye
  
  
  • Infant feeding
  
  
  • Mechanism of labour
  
  
  • Medicine management
  
  
  • Assessment A-E
  
  
  
  


• Summative 5: Practice Assessment Document (MORA) year long pass/fail


• Summative 6: Written clinical account: 1000 words

• Case Study A&P care (500words)


• Annotated bibliography (500 words)


• Case Study communication & Decision Making (500 words)


• VIVA/OSCE


• Safe Medicate – x6 (yearlong)

• Self-tests


• Safe medicate


• Anatomy & physiology


• Think out loud activity- decisions in practice


• Simulation with actors (communication)


• Reflective learning journal

• Continuous feedback from teaching fellows & actors within university learning blocks


• Peer feedback within university learning blocks (simulation and theory)


• Continuous feedback from practice whilst on placement learning blocks


• Online feedback


• Tutorials

Module aims

• Engage students with a range of learning experiences using simulation, research and evidence within the context of professional midwifery practice. There will be a focus on person centred holistic midwifery care, an introduction to public health and health promotion across the lifespan. By utilising the experiences of service users¿, students will consider the emotional, physical and psychological needs of women throughout the childbearing continuum, acknowledging diversity within the population.
  
• Support the student in developing and understanding the underpinning physical and psychosocial concepts which promote wellbeing within a wide range of social contexts.
  
• Enable students to develop an understanding of the relationship between research and evidence-based practice by exploring what research is and where knowledge comes from. This will enable students to understand the role evidence plays within and construction of evidence-based midwifery practice in the context of health, care and well-being.
  

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

• Provide a sequential and integrated learning experience using theory and practice, by a spiralling of content that supports student development. A scaffolding of fundamental skills and professional practices are introduced during simulation learning and these are further developed in the clinical environment.


• Employ the underpinning theories of Dewey, Bruner, Watson and Schon in the integration of patient-centred experiential learning, reinforced by repetition, theory and reflection.


• Use simulated practice, to not only develop clinical skills proficiencies but also the provision of holistic care through a range of assessment and communication skills employing scenarios of varying complexity.


• Simulation


• Seminars


• Online – self-test / additional learning materials / discussion boards / student forums


• Classroom discussions


• Student-led seminars


• Problem based learning


• Case studies / scenarios


• Experiential learning


• Practice placement experience

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: NUR1058

Other information

The School of Health Sciences Midwifery programme is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas:

Digital capabilities

Students will develop an awareness of the role of digital technology in knowledge production, highlighting to students their rights and responsibilities as citizens and future healthcare professionals.  Students are shown how to use a wide range of on-line and stand-alone digitally-enabled and industry-standard tools and portals which provide information, make services more efficient and improve patient outcomes.

Employability

Students are enrolled on a validated professional course and are educated in line with regulated standards preparing them with the interpersonal and professional skills to enter the register and employment at the end of their course.

Global and cultural capabilities

Public and global health are key threads throughout this module with a view to improve the health behaviours of the community, identify cultural factors affecting health behaviour and recognize the health care services which are needed.  Module content incorporates perspectives and practices from a range of cultures; through conversations around culture, appreciation, and appropriation students are encouraged to diversify their knowledge and reflect on different experiences; through peer-to-peer learning students are encouraged to share and learn from each other’s personal and cultural knowledge and perspectives.  This will support the development of cultural competence to support the diverse range of communities engaging with services.

Resourcefulness and Resilience

Students are guided to develop the ability to reflect, evaluate, adapt, and respond flexibly to unforeseen circumstances throughout the module and in the clinical environment.  This pillar is fundamental to the development of effective and safe health professionals. Scenario based examples are used to develop students’ ability to respond effectively to changing situations.  These skills are tested through formative and summative assessments and in the clinical environment.  Students are supported to engage with Wellbeing services and are encouraged to foster resilience through peer support.  An integrated programmatic approach and scaffolding helps with both the development of knowledge throughout the academic year and programme and highlights the importance of assessment for learning in the journey of the student.  

Sustainability

Healthcare resources are finite and this module will explore the role of health promotion in providing service users with information to make good choices regarding health behaviours.  This will give learners the knowledge and skills to compassionately address current inequalities and maximize long term outcomes which may positively impact on their own and the world’s sustainable development.  We have a philosophy which aims to create the future healthcare workforce which is fit for today but which is also future proofed through consideration of an ever changing healthcare landscape.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.