In it together – Midwifery and Paramedic students learn with each other

The Faculty of Health and Society is developing an ‘Interprofessional Education’ (IPE) strategy for students, providing them with ‘multidimensional’ learning opportunities through a ‘collaborative curriculum’ that will see some learning alongside their peers in other subject areas.

Melanie Cole, Senior Lecturer in Practice (Midwifery) led a recent learning event: “Student midwives attended an interprofessional simulation learning workshop with paramedic students. The midwifery students were tasked with managing three different maternity, pre-hospital scenarios. They were joined by paramedic students after making a simulated 999 call that required their assistance.

“The students attended in uniform to add to the realism of the event and used authentic clinical equipment familiar to them in their practice roles. The ‘pregnant woman’ in the scenarios was a high fidelity manikin which could be transferred into the training ambulance and admitted into a simulated A&E area.

“The students were encouraged to revisit and develop verbal and interpersonal communication skills along with clinical interventions, working together to maximise the positive outcome for the woman and baby in each scenario.

“Equal time was given to a debrief conversation after each scenario which observing students participated in, enabling them to discuss key learning points, ask questions and reinforce their individual roles in the pre-hospital setting.

“Students were extremely positive about the experience, saying that they found the session to be enjoyable and a valuable opportunity to learn from and with each other in a simulated environment that allowed them to practice challenging clinical situations in a safe place.”

Find out more about the Faculty’s move toward greater IPE in this article in the British Journal of Midwifery.