Course Catalogue

The programme aims to provide a professional education which takes account of all the relevant professional and academic benchmarks and produces a Registered Midwife who is autonomous, compassionate, competent, and confident, whilst enabling them to be able to deliver care in a range of settings throughout the childbirth continuum. They will be able to practice safely and effectively. This will occur through an education that will: - ensure that students can demonstrate they have the required proficiencies for registration - provide students with the underpinning knowledge and skills so that they become fully accountable as the lead professional for the care and support of women and newborn infants, and partners and families - enable the student to become proficient in optimising normal physiological processes - enable the student to support safe physical, psychological, social, cultural and spiritual situations - ensure the student anticipates and recognises complications and additional care needs, and appropriately and skilfully respond, manage and escalate these by collaborating with and referring to interdisciplinary and multiagency colleagues - ensure that students demonstrate respectful, empowering, and equitable care irrespective of social context and setting and that is respectful of human rights - equip students with the skills to take responsibility for their own actions, critically think, problem solve, demonstrate positive role modelling, and exhibit leadership qualities

A wide range of teaching methods will be utilised, to provide a diversity of teaching methods to accommodate different learning styles of students and facilitate a programme designed to cater for a wide range of abilities and interests. This will enable students to reach their full potential and facilitate integration of theory and practice and exploration of the learning outcomes. The learner is encouraged to undertake independent study to supplement and consolidate their learning, and broaden their knowledge and understanding of the subject. Students will have opportunities through a range of methods for concrete experience, reflective observation, conceptualisation and evaluation. Student contact will involve one or more combinations of lectures, tutorials, seminars, workshops, simulated practice, clinical practice, on-line learning, group-work, reflective practice discussions, self-directed and directed study. The needs of the woman and family are at the centre of maternity care and the midwifery modular programme has a spiral learning and teaching structure. Foundation subjects are taught at Level 4 with the initial focus on universal midwifery care. The focus of Level 5 is based on increasing knowledge of management of complications and additional care needs. The focus of Level 6 builds upon Level 4 and Level 5 promoting excellence and giving the student skills to become a skilled practitioner, leading the student to reflect on the leadership and management of midwifery care, with the focus being on the women and their families and the midwives role within the interdisciplinary team. This forms the basis of a more critical and analytical approach. Thus on successful completion of the programme students will be able to provide woman and family centred midwifery care. The programme learning outcomes will facilitate development from being almost an observer, progressing through stages and leading to students who can use analytical and observational and problem solving skills, and then to the optimum level of students equipped with the skills of self-directed study and the motivation for life-long self-development. Cognitive skills are developed through a variety of teaching and learning strategies. All modules in the programme emphasise student -centred learning, involving students in a variety of learning activities strengthened by discussion, feedback and a wider application of the concepts. Skills are developed and enhanced through analysis and evaluation of theoretical knowledge and application to clinical practice. Application of knowledge to clinical practice provides the opportunity for students to absorb, test and reflect on what is learned in taught sessions. Clinical decision making encourages critical thinking skills. A diverse range of methods is used to assess progress, which reflect the programme aims and objectives. Assessment tasks take account of students with particular needs and alternative assessments may be provided following discussions with tutors. Knowledge skills and understanding will be formatively and summatively assessed in the programme modules. Both formative and summative assessment methods are employed in order to facilitate students learning styles. These include both seen and unseen examinations, written assignments, seminar presentations, poster presentations, reflective portfolios, case studies, OSCEs and VIVAs. Intellectual skills are assessed throughout the programme with assessment activities such as: essays, vivas, presentations, literature reviews, reports, portfolios, simulated practice, clinical practice assessment, critical analysis of case studies, personal reflection, wikis and blogs, analysis of research evidence and critical theoretical assignments. Dementia teaching is included in the midwifery programme in the form of seven on-line modules. Students will gain an underpinning knowledge of dementia and be able to transfer this knowledge to the care of the family.

Placements Opportunities for Work Based Learning Work based learning accounts for 50% of the learning on this programme which totals 2300 hours. Students will have the opportunity to work on practical placements across a wide range of settings both inside and outside hospitals and in both the NHS and Independent Sector. There are competencies associated with the programme and achievement of these will be supported by a nationally agreed Midwifery Ongoing Record of Achievement (MORA), Practice Assessors and Practice Supervisors, and the Programme Leader and the Lead Midwife for Education. To support students during a placement experience a named Practice Supervisor and Practice Assessor will be allocated. A Supervisor/Assessor is a suitably prepared professional trained to support students in practice that meets NMC requirements (NMC, 2019). Students may be assessed by a suitably prepared Supervisor/Assessor such as a Registered Midwife or other registered professional. All placements are subject to annual audits and are overseen by the Placement Learning Support Unit. The Academic Assessor will work in conjunction with the named Practice Assessor and Supervisors. There may be opportunities for international visits as part of the programme, through formative placements. Every placement area has a named academic link. This is recorded on the software package InPlace, and is visible to students and placement staff. There is an LJMU role descriptor for academic staff who undertake this role.