What will I learn on this module?
This is the first of your programme’s practice modules and you will gain a foundation in clinical skills and knowledge towards becoming a skilled practitioner in accordance with professional standards. This will enable you to support, care for and work in partnership with women through all aspects of the childbirth continuum.
The emphasis of your learning will be the underpinning theory and clinical skills that are essential for safe and effective midwifery care. You will work alongside clinical midwives to develop your interpersonal skills and understand professional practice in the clinical setting, as well as consolidating the clinical skills you simulated within the university setting. You will experience 24-hour/ seven-day care provision during clinical practice, enabling you to develop an understanding of women, their infants and family’s needs. You will follow the journey of several women through your first year to facilitate an appreciation of maternity care from service users’ perspectives. You will work in partnership with women (under supervision) to ensure a woman centred approach to care.
Skills taught on this module include venepuncture, medicines management (including drug calculations), injection techniques, infant feeding including breastfeeding and safe artificial feeding, bladder care, vital observations, life support and infection prevention, control and antimicrobial stewardship. Practical's relating to infant feeding and early relationship building will enhance theoretical instruction based upon the United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF (2025) Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) standards.
How will I learn on this module?
This year-long module provides you with simulated clinical teaching to enable learning from a diverse range of opportunities, while clinical placement offers experience in a range of relevant maternity settings. In these settings you will begin to participate predominantly in the application of universal midwifery skills; this means that the oversight of the supervising midwife adapts as appropriate to the learning opportunities and the developing skills and knowledge of the student, enabling the student to demonstrate their learned skills.
To support the application of theory into practice, you will learn about the principles and rehearse midwifery practice skills in a simulated environment using simulation manikins creating ‘close to reality’ scenarios to promote knowledge and skill development. Facilitated reflection on clinical experiences in university-based sessions will explore the relevant theoretical and research/evidence base. There will be opportunities to learn from service users, for example in relation to infant feeding, your own real-life experiences and those of your peers, as well as case scenarios applicable to your clinical learning experiences.
Your electronic Midwifery Ongoing Record of Achievement (eMORA) starts in this module. You will draw on the learning from other modules to effectively manage your own practice learning with the support of your Practice Assessor (PA) and Academic Assessor (AA); throughout this year you will begin to develop the skills associated with becoming an empowered learner who can identify and respond to their own learning needs. Practice Supervisors (PS) and your PA/AA will facilitate the learning required for this stage of your programme.
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 practice is required to be 100%. Your placement hours for Year One: 652.5
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 group work within interactive learning sessions, which will allow for knowledge checking and questions to be answered promptly. Both in class and online formative tests will be used throughout the module, to allow you to assess your personal learning.
Fifty percent of programme time is in clinical practice, where you will be supported by experienced midwives (PS/PA), Midwifery Link Tutors (MLT), a Practice Learning Tutor (PLT) and Practice Placement Facilitators (PPF) who work jointly between the NHS Trust hospitals and the programme team to develop and monitor the standard of practice placements and are available to support students in the clinical learning environment. 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. Participate in and discuss the care required to monitor the wellbeing of a woman and her fetus/ neonate in pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period.
Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
2. Perform a variety of specified clinical skills safely and effectively.
3. Recognise autonomy and accountability in midwifery practice and the limits of own capability.
4. Participate in a range of assessment, screening, care and support measures for women and neonates.
Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
5. Demonstrate and discuss the basic principles of ethical and professional midwifery care, developing proficiency in the communication skills required to provide personalised care, in line with the NMC Code.
How will I be assessed?
Formative assessment:
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 Assessment:
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 1-5; Pass/Fail
Feedback from Practice Assessor as part of summative holistic assessment review.
Module abstract
This first-year module will introduce you to a range of midwifery skills for contemporary practice, supporting your first practice placement experiences. Practice learning introduces you to women-centred partnership working, where you have the opportunity to develop the skills you have acquired in the university setting, and rehearse these under direct supervision of your Practice Supervisor (a registered midwife). While developing skills for universal and additional care, you will learn how to deliver safe and effective evidence-based midwifery practice. The module will be assessed through a self-review of your performance, in explaining and developing essential practical skills. This is complimented by a holistic review of your practice performance by the Practice Supervisors, Practice Assessors, and your Academic Assessor, where you will utilise your continuity experience and practice learning progression and achievements to demonstrate how you have met the module learning outcomes.
