Action research to improve the pre-registration midwifery curriculum Part 2: case study evaluation in seven sites in England

It emerged, following a synthesis of all data, that the pre-registration midwifery curriculum should have five key outcomes: students should feel confident and competent as midwives, students must have achieved the statutory requirements for registration, students should be committed to undertaking the whole role and responsibilities of a midwife, and students must recognise the need for career long learning.

Abstract

There needs to be agreement as to what constitutes fitness for practice at the point of registration; assessment schemes, particularly those relating to practice capabilities, need to be valid, reliable and robust with the benefit of the doubt being given in favour of childbearing women when students are 'borderline'; fitness for purpose requires clarification to avoid employers having unreal expectations of new qualifiers which may result in attrition due to excessive stress; review of curricula should take account of the importance of personal qualities and learning strategies which enable students to cope with complexity, uncertainty, decision making and 'being a midwife' before course completion.