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Innovation in midwifery education: The Virtual Maternity Clinic
Oral Papers and Workshops clinical skills after completion of this unit. All respondents agreed that the unit was a valuable experience and would equip them well for their graduate year as they recognised that teaching is an important role for midwives. Implications: Findings from this research indicate that PAL techniques can be instrumental in the development of teaching skills in undergraduate students even across two health disciplines. Not only did the student midwives gain confidence in teaching, they had opportunity to understand the different scope of practice of another health discipline. Limitations: The results of this study were based on a small cohort of students. Further research needs to be undertaken to support these findings. doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2011.07.032 A3.2 Innovation in midwifery education: The Virtual Maternity Clinic Diane Phillips a,∗ , Cate Nagle a , Denise Patterson b , Maxine Duke a a b
Deakin University, Victoria, Australia Eastern Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Rationale: Students enrolled in midwifery courses have limited access to midwifery placements to support their professional learning. Simulations support students’ preparation for their placements by the diverse health issues experienced by women during early pregnancy and midwifery care. The Virtual Maternity Clinic (VMC) was developed to prepare midwifery students (undergraduate and postgraduate) at Deakin University for professional practice. It comprises of video simulations of interviews with four virtual characters (pregnant women) and their midwife; summaries provided by the midwife avatar and interactive activities specific for each woman. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was administered to all midwifery students (n = 140) during Trimester 2, 2009. Survey items include measures of students’ engagement, usability of the VMC and their assessment of the quality of the online resource. A coding scheme was developed and two independent raters coded student responses with an inter-rater reliability (Cohen’s Kappa = .89). Results: The level of student satisfaction with the VMC and learning about midwifery care was 88.4%; the contribution of confidence and competency related to midwifery knowledge and skills was 83.7%. In regard to the quality of the VMC, 88.1% would recommend it to other students. Discussion: Students reported their satisfaction with the VMC because it was helpful preparation for their placements in midwifery placements and for others, they could repeat sections of the program to support their learning as often they wanted, in particular the interviews between each woman and her midwife. Students repeated the interview sections to identify how the midwife interacted with each woman. Some issues related to navigation of the VMC and the inability to ‘skip’ sections, otherwise the VMC was generally easy to access.
S5 Implications: The VMC has a place in midwifery education for both undergraduate and postgraduate students by preparing them for midwifery placements. doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2011.07.033 A3.3 MeL: Maternity E-Learning for maternity care clinicians Bree Bulle a,b , Caprice Brown a,c,∗ , Tanya Farrell a a
The Royal Women’s Hospital, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia b Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia c Latrobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Introduction: MeL is a collaborative e-Learning joint venture between the Maternity Services Education Program (MSEP), the Royal Women’s Hospital, Barwon Health and Creative Force. This program has been developed in response to a need identified by clinicians across Victoria for access to education that is flexible and available online. MeL modules complement an existing mobile maternity simulation program, facilitated onsite in Victorian maternity services. Simulated scenarios aim to reinforce immediate maternity management for a range of maternity emergencies. The program also highlights the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to care and can be used by new clinicians as an introduction to managing maternity emergencies, or as a reinforcing activity for more experienced clinicians. Aim: The aim of MeL is to enhance clinician confidence and knowledge in managing maternity emergencies using multimedia to demonstrate an interdisciplinary approach to care. Method: Using a five point Likert scale, pilot evaluation includes clinicians self rating how well each module enhanced their understanding of the following scenarios: Postpartum haemorrhage, Shoulder dystocia, Eclampsia, Vaginal breech birth, Communication in an emergency, Access to blood products in an emergency. Clinicians also provide feedback on the functionality of MeL. Results: Analysis of the evaluation survey data will focus on the ability to achieve the learning objectives for each module, and the functionality of MeL for maternity care clinicians. Discussion: Preliminary results during the pilot indicate clinicians are supportive of MeL, particularly in relation to online functionality, meeting CPD requirements and individual or group learning needs. Final results will be complied following conclusion of the pilot in December 2010. doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2011.07.034 A3.4 Simulated, stimulated and self-efficacy measures: Evaluation of a pilot project in midwifery education Rachel Smith ∗ , Joanne Gray University of Technology Sydney, NSW, Australia Aim: To evaluate the impact of introducing exemplary practice stimulus clips and authentic practice podcasts has on midwifery students’ confidence in developing the
Deakin University, Victoria, Australia Eastern Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Rationale: Students enrolled in midwifery courses have limited access to midwifery placements to support their professional learning. Simulations support students’ preparation for their placements by the diverse health issues experienced by women during early pregnancy and midwifery care. The Virtual Maternity Clinic (VMC) was developed to prepare midwifery students (undergraduate and postgraduate) at Deakin University for professional practice. It comprises of video simulations of interviews with four virtual characters (pregnant women) and their midwife; summaries provided by the midwife avatar and interactive activities specific for each woman. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was administered to all midwifery students (n = 140) during Trimester 2, 2009. Survey items include measures of students’ engagement, usability of the VMC and their assessment of the quality of the online resource. A coding scheme was developed and two independent raters coded student responses with an inter-rater reliability (Cohen’s Kappa = .89). Results: The level of student satisfaction with the VMC and learning about midwifery care was 88.4%; the contribution of confidence and competency related to midwifery knowledge and skills was 83.7%. In regard to the quality of the VMC, 88.1% would recommend it to other students. Discussion: Students reported their satisfaction with the VMC because it was helpful preparation for their placements in midwifery placements and for others, they could repeat sections of the program to support their learning as often they wanted, in particular the interviews between each woman and her midwife. Students repeated the interview sections to identify how the midwife interacted with each woman. Some issues related to navigation of the VMC and the inability to ‘skip’ sections, otherwise the VMC was generally easy to access.
S5 Implications: The VMC has a place in midwifery education for both undergraduate and postgraduate students by preparing them for midwifery placements. doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2011.07.033 A3.3 MeL: Maternity E-Learning for maternity care clinicians Bree Bulle a,b , Caprice Brown a,c,∗ , Tanya Farrell a a
The Royal Women’s Hospital, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia b Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia c Latrobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Introduction: MeL is a collaborative e-Learning joint venture between the Maternity Services Education Program (MSEP), the Royal Women’s Hospital, Barwon Health and Creative Force. This program has been developed in response to a need identified by clinicians across Victoria for access to education that is flexible and available online. MeL modules complement an existing mobile maternity simulation program, facilitated onsite in Victorian maternity services. Simulated scenarios aim to reinforce immediate maternity management for a range of maternity emergencies. The program also highlights the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to care and can be used by new clinicians as an introduction to managing maternity emergencies, or as a reinforcing activity for more experienced clinicians. Aim: The aim of MeL is to enhance clinician confidence and knowledge in managing maternity emergencies using multimedia to demonstrate an interdisciplinary approach to care. Method: Using a five point Likert scale, pilot evaluation includes clinicians self rating how well each module enhanced their understanding of the following scenarios: Postpartum haemorrhage, Shoulder dystocia, Eclampsia, Vaginal breech birth, Communication in an emergency, Access to blood products in an emergency. Clinicians also provide feedback on the functionality of MeL. Results: Analysis of the evaluation survey data will focus on the ability to achieve the learning objectives for each module, and the functionality of MeL for maternity care clinicians. Discussion: Preliminary results during the pilot indicate clinicians are supportive of MeL, particularly in relation to online functionality, meeting CPD requirements and individual or group learning needs. Final results will be complied following conclusion of the pilot in December 2010. doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2011.07.034 A3.4 Simulated, stimulated and self-efficacy measures: Evaluation of a pilot project in midwifery education Rachel Smith ∗ , Joanne Gray University of Technology Sydney, NSW, Australia Aim: To evaluate the impact of introducing exemplary practice stimulus clips and authentic practice podcasts has on midwifery students’ confidence in developing the