Critical incidents in midwifery practice can have a significant effect on student midwives, contributing to psychological distress, burnout and attrition issues. For this reason, we developed a three-stage model approach, offering a modified form of critical incident stress management, enhancing selfcare and assertiveness skills. We evaluated this intervention, along with student perceptions of critical incidents. Whilst further research would enhance generalisability of the findings, our study suggests that implementing such interventions may reduce attrition and support midwifery students’ psychological wellbeing.
Persistent racial inequalities in maternity outcomes have prompted increasing calls to decolonise preregistration midwifery education, reflected in initiatives such as the Royal College of Midwives Decolonising Midwifery Education Toolkit. This second article in a series of six explores how critical pedagogical theory can complement and strengthen these efforts. It argues that combining critical pedagogy with curriculum decolonisation can help move educational practice beyond symbolic or tokenistic interventions towards meaningful structural change. Practical examples demonstrate how critical questioning, critical reflexivity and diverse knowledge systems can be embedded within midwifery curricula to promote equity, challenge medical racism and contribute to improved outcomes for women and babies.
Sexual Assault Referral Centres provide specialist, trauma-informed care to individuals who have experienced sexual assault, bridging healthcare, forensic services and the criminal justice system. This integrated model avoids the need for survivors to navigate multiple agencies independently. As the fourth in a five-part series exploring sexual violence, this article outlines the structure, services and referral pathways into SARCs, including legal interfaces and professional accountability. Midwives play a key role in recognising disclosures, facilitating referrals and supporting holistic, timely care.
Provision of safe and personalised maternity care extends beyond clinical and interpersonal skills. Understanding multidisciplinary team roles, local pathways and processes, and implementation of effective leadership skills are also crucial to success. An opportunity to pilot an Integrated Perinatal Pelvic Health Service placement was realised, whereby midwifery and physiotherapy learners collaborate to improve their pelvic health awareness, whilst developing leadership skills and tangibly contributing to service development through quality improvement approaches.
This article shares insights regarding a novel cycle – an idea borne from student clinical practice became the focus of a research study, whereby the learning from those research findings has been embedded back into education to facilitate student learning. Focusing on midwifery student facilitated births, this article first provides an overview of the research conducted and findings; second, we will share a new self-assessment tool designed to support educators and students to engage with the labour and birth practice documentation in a novel way. We will provide a detailed account of using the tool in education settings to enhance student skill acquisition.
