The midwifery curriculum: introducing obstetric emergency simulation

Abstract

Employing high fidelity simulations of obstetric emergencies for student midwives has great teaching and learning potential. Simulations can provide student midwives with a learning experience that facilitates knowledge application to midwifery practice. This article describes student midwives evaluation of a simulated obstetric emergency study day. Twenty-seven undergraduate student midwives participated in this pilot study. The main findings of this study revealed that students valued the opportunity to apply the theory they had learned into practice within a safe environment. The opportunity to work as a team was also appreciated by the students. Simulations can be incorporated into the midwifery curriculum as a teaching strategy to develop the decision making, communication and team working skills used when dealing with an obstetric emergency.