MW5000 - Complex & Emergency Childbirth

The teaching and learning strategy for this module will be a mix of lectures, seminars, practical sessions, directed and independent learning. The lectures will provide key sources of policy, knowledge and theoretical evidence. These will encourage you to connect to sources for independent learning.
You will experience a diverse range of input from university lecturers with a wide range of experience in the topic areas covered. The practical and seminar sessions will challenge your integrative ability and encourage application to practice via case-based discussions and reflection on experiences from clinical practice and research evidence. Practical sessions in the clinical skills centre will enable you to rehearse the management approaches that have been discussed in lectures, enabling you to apply theory to practice and gain confidence in the first line management of childbirth complications, that will be assessed as an Objective Structured Clinical Assessment (OSCA) of the management of a childbirth emergency.
You will be expected to engage with technology enhanced learning, for example online information, training and pre-reading. The learning in the module will provide sources of evidence that will contribute to both your practice development and assessment.

The lecturers delivering this module will provide guidance and academic support to enable your engagement with the academic content of the module during lectures, seminars and a group tutorial. There is also extensive support accessible online as part of the university’s commitment to technology enhanced learning, for example the use of the eLearning portal and collaborative tools.
The University Library offers extensive access to electronic texts and tutorials that supports the development of academic skills aimed at improving your critical thinking and analytical writing.
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.

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)

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Apply and discuss the relevant theory underpinning childbirth emergencies and high dependency care for women across the childbirth continuum.
2. Analyse the care and management of childbirth emergencies and high dependency care to maintain maternal, fetal and neonatal safety and wellbeing.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
3. Critique the role of the midwife in relation to managing childbirth emergencies and caring for the seriously ill woman with high dependency needs.
4. Demonstrate an awareness of the collaborative nature of maternity care when dealing with a childbirth emergency or caring for a women requiring high dependency care.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
5. Identify and reflect upon your ability to communicate with women, families and members of the healthcare professions team during difficult/stressful occasions.

Formative:
Online learning materials, that are self-assessed relating to childbirth emergencies, pathophysiology and high dependency care

Simulated practice scenarios and case-based discussions in lectures and seminars, with peers and lecturers will serve as formative feedback on your progress and engagement with the subject content. Clinical skills workshops and a practice OSCA will be a feature of this module.

Summative:
Observed structured clinical assessment; one scenario will be selected from a possible range of childbirth emergencies taught in the module; 30 minutes

MLO’s 1-5; 100%

Marking rubric and qualitative feedback in BBU.

N/A

N/A

This module will enable you to identify deviations from the normal, institute emergency measures and work collaboratively with the multi-disciplinary team to ensure the safety and wellbeing of women and their babies. For many women, childbirth is a normal life event, for some it will require emergency interventions and high dependency care. As midwives, we are coordinators of care for all women and are pivotal in organising and referring women to the appropriate health professionals; it is therefore, essential that you have the knowledge and skills to provide high quality, seamless care for these women. It is imperative that you are aware of the scope of midwives practice in relation to childbirth emergencies and high dependency care.