MAJOPRA3 Midwifery Management of Birth and the Post-Partum Period Course description

The course consist of 13 weeks of clinical training that builds on the courses MAJO4000 Midwifery Care during Childbirth and Starting a Family 1 and MAJOPRA1, and is related to MAJO4300 Care during Childbirth and Starting a Family 2. The student will further develop his/her clinical skills and ability to make clinical assessments as a basis for caring for women/families and children during childbirth and the post-partum period. Particular emphasis is placed on the student's further development of theory, reflection and clinical assessments in light of midwifery's position at the intersection between the biomedical and phenomenological ways of thinking.

The student must have passed MAJOPRA1 and MAJOPRA2.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and competence:

Knowledge

The student:

• has advanced knowledge about fetal observation and assessments and is capable of using it in clinical situations
• has advanced knowledge about childbirth, the post-partum period and starting a family as psychosocial processes

Skills

The student:

• is capable of carrying out independent practical and theoretical midwifery in accordance with ethical guidelines and the legislation that applies to midwives
• is capable of analysing and documenting clinical situations during normal processes and when there are signs of complications
• is capable of taking action in connection with complicated cases
• takes an analytical approach to the use of medical technology equipment
• has advanced theoretical and practical knowledge about pain during labour and pain relief and is capable of taking a critical approach to different pain relief methods
• is capable of applying advanced knowledge about the development and the fundamental needs of healthy and sick newborns within the midwife's areas of expertise
• is capable of dealing with unpredictable situations
• is capable of analysing and taking a critical approach to his/her own midwifery competence and competence development
• is capable of using the steps of evidence-based practice to analyse midwifery practice
• analysing and taking a critical approach to different sources of information

Competence

The student is capable of:

• analysing links between physical, psychosocial and cultural aspects and problematic developments in pregnancy, childbirth and starting a family
• applying his/her knowledge and skills to complex clinical situations
• contributing to new ideas in caring for women and families during labour and delivery and the post-partum period  / carrying out projects relating to women in childbirth and the post-partum period and the newborn baby and communicating the results using professional forms of communication
• communicating knowledge and analyses of midwifery to users and practising midwives

The work and teaching methods used are simulator training in the skills laboratory and user-oriented clinical training in the home, the specialist health service and/or private midwife practice, studying relevant specialist and research literature individually and in study groups, and individual regularly written logs describing students' progress and focus areas for further learning.

Supervision

Students will be supervised by a team consisting of a university supervisor and a midwife from the clinical field (clinical supervisor). The clinical supervisor is responsible for facilitating and supervising learning situations in the professional field. It is the students' responsibility to actively seek supervision and be prepared for all meetings with supervisors and assessment interviews. The clinical supervisor will take part in the expectation clarification meeting and the midway and final assessments. The university supervisor will take part in the midway assessment. If necessary, the university supervisor will also take part in the expectation clarification meeting. The meeting can be conducted individually or in groups. The university supervisor will also initiate up to two group tutorial sessions, where students can analyse and reflect on concrete situations from their clinical training. The students will prepare for the group tutorials in cooperation with the university supervisor. Group tutorials are adapted to each institution where clinical training takes place.

The following required coursework must be approved before the student can take the exam:

1. Demonstrating midwifery skills in the skills laboratory: The purpose of the exercise is for the student to acquire in-depth knowledge of midwifery skills as a basis for clinical training. If a student is given the assessment 'not approved', he/she will have two more attempts to demonstrate adequate skills.

2. Plan for clinical training: The student must prepare a plan for clinical training based on the learning outcomes defined for the course and the available learning situations. The plan for clinical training forms the basis for the expectation clarification meeting that is held during the first weeks of the period of clinical training. The plan is used in the continuous supervision of the student. The purpose of the plan for clinical training is to clarify and describe expected competence and to give the student the opportunity to plan his/her own learning process. The plan for clinical training must be submitted to the clinical supervisor and in the folder created in Canvas at least two working days before the discussion in question.

3. An academic assignment of up to 1,500 words. The purpose of this assignment is for the student to analyse his/her own clinical training experiences and discuss them in light of scientific literature.

4. An academic assignment of up to 2,500 words, followed by an oral presentation to the institution where the student's clinical training takes place. The purpose if this is to allow the student to practise his/her ability to discuss how core values in midwifery are applied in a maternity ward. The student must request at least one supervision session with the university supervisor. The assignment can be written in groups of up to three students.

5. Documentation of completed clinical learning situations: Documentation of 15-20 prenatal examinations. Supervising and caring for at least 15 women in labour during the dilation phase, at least 15 women with high-risk pregnancies, at least 40 women who have just given birth and their healthy newborns, delivering at least 15 to 20 children, and conducting at least three post-delivery interviews. The purpose of this requirement is to ensure that the student attains a sub-goal so that he/she will meet the quantitative requirements for applying for authorisation as a midwife on completing the programme. Students who are assessed as 'not approved' are responsible for securing extra clinical training time to meet the quantitative criteria described above for the course. The required coursework must be approved before the student can continue to MAJOPRA4.

Assessment content: The learning outcomes

Assessment arrangement: Midway and final assessments of clinical training

All aids permitted

Pass/fail

The midway and final assessments are carried out by the clinical supervisor. The university supervisor will take part in the midway assessment, and the final assessment if necessary. The final decision on whether to award a pass or fail grade is made by the university.