What will I learn on this module?
This module will build on the clinical knowledge and skills gained in year one and develop these as you explore the role of the midwife working with women with complex care needs in a variety of practice settings, in accordance with the framework for Quality Maternal and Newborn Care and professional proficiencies. You will develop your knowledge and skills in relation to basic life support and newborn life support, medicines management, patient safety, and referral and decision-making to provide care in complex maternity situations.
There will be an introduction to peri-operative care and consideration for surgical birth to include the essential skills required to support intervention, such as cannulation, episiotomy and suturing, and urgent neonatal care. There will be greater understanding of complexities in infant feeding for both the mother and neonate in accordance with UNICEF (2025) UK Breastfeeding Friendly Initiative. In addition, you will explore loss and bereavement, and interprofessional working; with consideration for referral to a multidisciplinary team, human factors, teamwork, professionalism, civility and risk. These areas of practice require that you are able to understand and work across professional boundaries, recognising the impact of the context of care provision on the personal and professional leadership skills you need to demonstrate in practice. The principles of continuity of care will be introduced and explored in preparation for learning in year three and to reflect the holistic nature of midwifery practice.
How will I learn on this module?
This year long module provides you with the theoretical knowledge to enable learning from a diverse range of clinical contexts and apply these to midwifery practice. This second-year practice module requires demonstration that you can contribute to women’s care with decreasing supervision and direction. In the clinical learning context this means that the interrelationship between the supervising midwife and the student midwife adapts as appropriate to the learning opportunities as the students’ skills from year one develop and progress. This enables more participation and less observation where appropriate.
Creative approaches to teaching and learning will be implemented to support individual learning styles, such approaches will include interactive lectures, seminars, simulation, case–based scenarios, and workshops, alongside guided and independent learning. Teaching strategies will include case-based scenarios, enquiry-based learning and reflection on practice to ensure an authentic learning experience. The lectures will cover theory that will enable you to complete guided work, which will then be discussed in seminar and practical sessions. Reflection on practice experiences will allow you to apply current evidence and ensure you are appropriately supported to provide safe and effective care as a midwife. You will have exposure to a simulated clinical environment to authentically prepare you for the realities of practice. Medicines calculations and management is a component of this module; learning is achieved through completing online modules on the web-based medicines platform and application during practical skills sessions and in practice. Drug calculation assessment will be completed via the web-based platform and successful completion of the exam will be collated into your eMORA and included as evidence in discussion with your PA as part of your medicines management proficiency.
Attendance for placement hours are required to be 100%. Your placement hours for Year Two: 810.
How will I be supported academically on this module?
You will be assigned an Academic Assessor and Practice Assessor at the start of each academic year of study. During the year, you may be placed in a different trust from your PA, however, your PS’s will record your progress on your eMORA, which will be reviewed at three formative review point discussions with your PA.
During theory sessions, support will include feedback from tutors during interactive lectures and seminars, which will allow for knowledge checking and questions to be answered promptly. The seminars will also provide an opportunity for you to receive feedback on how your academic abilities are developing. Resources will be available on the electronic learning platform BlackBoard Ultra (BBU), and tutors can be contacted via a module discussion board. A group tutorial will provide academic support focussed on the assessment task. In-class and online formative assessments of learning will be used throughout the module to facilitate progression. Directed learning will be set to guide your learning external to the classroom environment and self-directed study is encouraged to meet specific student learning needs. There will be an examination of your competence at performing clinical skills (OSCA) in relation to an aspect of midwifery care in this module (newborn life support) and formative clinical skills workshops will support the development of these skills toward assessment.
Fifty percent of programme time is in clinical practice, where you will be supported by experienced Midwives, Midwifery Link Tutors (MLT), an Academic Assessor (AA), a Practice Learning Tutor (PLT) and Practice Placement Facilitators (PPF). Assessment and progression in clinical practice is recorded using the eMORA – the electronic practice document and the e-learning for Health (eLfH) platform to facilitate and record completion of mandatory training. You can read more about supervision in practice on the NMC website: https://www.nmc.org.uk/standards-for-education-and-training/standards-for-student-supervision-and-assessment/
The University Libraries at both Coach Lane Campus and City Campus offer an extensive collection of material, both hard copy and electronic, access to international databases and training in information retrieval. The module will be supported by University library staff and resources, including study skills support packages. You can access the interactive training via the library webpages or the following link: http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/learning-skills
Ask4Help Online (accessed through your student portal) provides a comprehensive range of answers to frequently asked questions and is of benefit to students as a central point of reference for information about many different topics. Ask4Help face to face service points include those located in both university libraries.
What will I be expected to read on this module?
All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)
What will I be expected to achieve?
Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Demonstrate and apply the relevant theory that underpins care practices through which midwives may meet the needs of women and infants who require complex care.
Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
2. Demonstrate ability to perform a variety of specified clinical skills safely and effectively.
3. Critique the role of the midwife in maintaining a safe environment for women and infants experiencing more complex care pathways.
Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
4. Identify and reflect on your ability to communicate effectively with women, families and members of the multidisciplinary team during difficult or stressful situations.
5. Demonstrate application ofof ethical and sustainable practice in the context of midwifery and in accordance to the NMC Code.
How will I be assessed?
Formative:
Formative assessments will be available to you on the BBU and via in-class tests; to enable self-assessment of knowledge and understanding of relevant theory pertaining to skills which underpin safe midwifery care.
Verbal formative feedback will be provided in each taught session to enhance your development of practical skills. This will include peer review, in line with the NMC Code and Standards of proficiency.
Formative feedback in practice will be provided during the year from Practice Supervisors and Assessor based on the proficiencies you need to achieve for this year of study. You will have two scheduled formative review points during the year with your Practice Assessor.
Summative:
eMORA – Summative review with your PA will identify that your eMORA has been completed for Domain 6 proficiencies relevant to this stage in the programme (includes pass for drug calculations/ medicines management examination submitted as evidence of proficiency in eMORA).
MLO’s 2, 4; Pass/Fail
Feedback from discussion with AA/PS.
AND
Observed Structured Clinical Assessment (OSCA) for Newborn Life Support Emergency (30 minutes).
MLO’s 1,3,5; 100%
Marking rubric and qualitative feedback in BBU.
Module abstract
Building on the skills and knowledge developed in year one of the programme, you will apply your theoretical and practice learning from this and other modules in which to demonstrate and discuss the care required to monitor the wellbeing of a woman and her fetus/ neonate, when challenges, emergencies or additional care needs present. As midwives are pivotal in organising and referring women and infants to the appropriate health professionals, learning in this module will enable you to identify deviations from the normal, institute emergency measures and/or refer to other professionals, while working collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team to ensure the safety and wellbeing of women and their babies. The electronic Midwifery Ongoing Record of Achievement (eMORA) will support your learning in practice and provide evidence of your progression and assessment in practice. There will also be a clinical assessment of your skills in relation to Newborn Life Support (NLS).
