Transcript: Student Midwife Experience (ESME)

Transcript for Student Midwife Experience.

I used to…. but now I….

A poem about enhancing the student midwife experience

Noticing vulnerability in others and checking out with them how they are feeling, taking the time to give a warm welcome and remembering people’s names rather than referring to them as the midwife or the student, checking out with each other and planning what our learning hopes are for the shift ahead, noticing what we value about each other and saying this out loud in the moment. Noticing I am lost and helping me to find my way and including and acknowledging me. Not telling me what to do but giving me options and working together on these. Getting to know something about me as a person. What is a good learning experience for us all - these things are. This is how we define it. How can we help it to happen more of the time?

Not knowing what’s going on unless I ask, people not introducing themselves to us or asking my name, feeling hemmed in and not asked to contribute to decisions, struggling to meet work and family commitments, not knowing what I am doing well, people talking over me and not including me in conversations, feeling embarrassed to talk about intimate things with woman, not knowing things and being too scared to ask. Good to find out, good to ask, good to talk, good to share. Learning about others experience – the most powerful teacher.

We notice the specialness of things that might seem routine – ??? Like walking with me to show me where to put my bag and asking me questions along the way to get to know

Assumptions, assumptions, assumptions. We all make them. We could check them out.

I didn’t realize that the student liked to be able to care for women on her own with the midwife supporting them in the background. The student said she felt trusted.

I didn’t realize that midwives enjoyed having students in the unit especially because they were a fresh pair of eyes and helped the midwives to reflect. I didn’t realize that students were not a burden.
I didn’t realize the midwife was not disconnected with us but that she felt overwhelmed because the shift was busy.
I didn’t realize that the midwife wanted to develop her teaching skills – I thought she knew it all
I didn’t realize that the student had lots of skills from working in the emergency department that were valued in this environment
I didn’t realize how upset she was about receiving the complaint

Checking out assumptions. There’s an element of surprise. Keeps us on our toes. Stops us thinking about how we think people should learn in the workplace and makes us ask about how we want to learn and develop.

Knowing how people are feeling helps us to connect. Sharing feelings can be scary. Exploring feelings can feel like taking a risk. Learning that if a person says they feel proud, let down, comfortable, overwhelmed, powerless or privileged, this is real and cannot be disputed.

It takes courage to share how we feel. What do you think about that, what are you going to do now, how do you feel about that, what helps you to do that?
Talking about our experiences, sharing stories about caring and learning, sharing how we feel about caring and learning. No time to talk about caring and learning make time to talk about caring and learning. Without this we can’t reflect and develop.

Where am I now?

I used to feel very nervous and insecure when starting a placement
Now I feel more confident to ask questions and let staff know where I am up to.

I used to sit in the front row of chairs at handover with my back to people and wasn’t aware of who was in the room.
Now I move the chairs into a semi-circle so all staff and students feel included.

I used to say strengths and weaknesses now I say strengths and areas to develop

I used to be worried about not knowing things Now I know it’s OK not to know and I ask.

I used to ask students what their strengths were I still do. Now I ask them if they want to learn about my strengths

I used to do all the interventions with the mother while the student observed.
Now I plan interventions with the student and encourage them to do what they are comfortable to do.

I used to just go with what the midwife said or did. But now I feel curious to ask more questions.
I used to think about team work as pulling together to get tasks done. Now it’s not just about tasks. We check in with how we are feeling.

I used to stress about having a student as it would have an impact in fitting in everything I had to do in the day. Now I value having a student to share our work, learn from each other and the work gets done!

I used to think I knew her well. Now I know how to get to know people better and share more about me!

I used to ask for feedback at the end of the shift. Now I check in and ask for feedback in the moment as the day goes on.

I used to say “having a student”. Now I say working together with a student.

I used to assume what the student needed. Now we share our hopes for learning together.

Taking the time to have caring conversations turns phrases like engagement, student centred, openness, respect and empowerment into reality. Be brave it takes courage to ask and share but it makes a difference to all of us.