Continuing an ongoing series of articles on setting up a new Midwifery programme in Abu Dhabi, Dr Gina Sosa shares how the programme and students have been developing six months on. She highlights the creative methods being used by Dr Maeve O’Connell and herself to inspire and educate the midwifery students and how they are getting involved in sharing the programme more widely.
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Recap:
August 2021 the vision was to start a BSc Midwifery programme at Fatima College of Health Sciences (FCHS) in Abu Dhabi, the only Bachelors in midwifery degree programme in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Fast forward 18 months, we have designed the programme and we have been teaching the Bachelors in Midwifery at FCHS for 6 months!
This midwifery programme is four years, full time. The first year is a foundation year which is multidisciplinary and from year 2, students start their major (examples, midwifery, nursing, radiography, paramedics, physiotherapy, or pharmacy). The seven student midwives did not originally plan to study midwifery as it was not an option when the students first started at FCHS, but they transferred when the midwifery programme became available. One of the highlights for me has been observing the transformation of the student midwives developing and owning their midwifery identity. We hope that we will accomplish obtaining purple Shayla’s (this is the local Arabic name for a head scarf) in time for clinical placement so that the student midwives standout differently to nurses.
Teaching Midwifery in Abu Dhabi:
For the last six months Dr Maeve and I have been very busy teaching midwifery theory and skill
courses to aspiring midwives in Abu Dhabi. The courses have included care of the new-born and infant feeding, assessments in pregnancy, labour and postpartum, anatomy and physiology for the non-pregnant and childbearing women, and fundamental skills in midwifery. Overall the teaching has concentrated on recognising normal physiological processes in relation to the mother, fetus and newborn, while also introducing them to low and high technology birthing environments. It has been intense as we have been teaching 6-8 classes a week ranging from 90 minutes to 3 hours each class. We are also creating brand new material for each teaching session. Despite the long hours, we both continue to be passionate about using different teaching methods to keep the student midwives interactive and engaged. One week I was making blood using red food colouring for estimating blood loss while Dr Maeve had the students mixing mashed bananas, soy sauce and grain mustard to help them understand the normal stool changes observed in new-borns.
The student midwives loved using the birthing balls, mats and manipulating the obstetric bed to aid women into different positions. They learned all about the mechanics of the obstetric beds (we even made a timed competition dissembling and resembling parts of an obstetric bed!). In addition, we got permission to move a bed down the corridors of FCHS with a student in it, practising transferring a woman to an operating theatre in an emergency. The students also shared experiences about how it felt as they imagined they were a woman on their way for a caesarean section and the words that were helpful to hear from health professionals. We took this experience a step further when we arranged with our Paramedic colleagues to use the immersive rooms to simulate preparation for a caesarean section and then simulate a caesarean section so that the students learned the members and the roles of the multidisciplinary team and the rules concerning sterilised fields and what you can and cannot touch. I have never simulated a caesarean section in my teaching previously, but I can now see it was a very valued experience to help prepare the students for the operating theatre environment, and behaviours and practises expected.
The student midwives are very excited to start clinical placement next semester. They will have completed nine months of theory and skills training prior to their first clinical placement. This is different to what Dr Maeve, and I have previously experienced. We have previously witnessed and supported student midwives going into clinical placement as soon as four weeks following the start of their midwifery training. There are different expectations in the UAE hospitals including that students should be able to perform basic clinical skills prior to going into clinical placement. I am curious to observe if having more time to learn and practice in the college will equip the student midwives to be more confident in practise? Will they also have more understanding and insight?
First Day Trip:
The student midwives, Maeve and I had our first day out together to attend an event ‘Arab Health’ in Dubai which was so inspiring. Hundreds of businesses showcased their technologies relating to health. We had sessions booked with Leader Healthcare who have previously supported simulations days at FCHS. The team supported the students to experience clinical scenarios using virtual reality (VR) and experience simulated neonatal resuscitation for the first time with a computer rating their techniques. All this information is crucial as Dr Maeve and I are still making assessments regarding choosing appropriate simulation equipment for teaching.
Promoting the Midwifery Programme
When we are not teaching, we continue to promote the FCHS midwifery degree programme. When I say we, the student midwives are now helping and even leading certain events. It is amazing!!! We have had international visitors wanting to learn about midwifery education in Abu Dhabi. Dr Maeve lead the welcoming of honourable guests from the American College of Nurse-Midwives. They provided inspiration for our students about why they love midwifery! One-member handmade beads to help the students estimate cervical dilatation following vaginal examinations.
One aspect that got us by surprise was the reaction of Lucina our simulation mannequin on all fours on the obstetric bed in the maternity skills lab. Dr Maeve, and I used the benefit of our weightlifting classes to turn Lucina onto all fours. Our healthcare colleagues and international visitors have been amazed when seeing Lucina in this position. We have had colleagues ask if birth is possible in this position. The student midwives have joined in, explaining the benefits of upright positions.
I have also attended 2 weekend midwifery events with the purpose to learn what is going on in midwifery
and maternity services in the UAE and to network. Both events were full of passionate presenters translating evidence into practice in the UAE. One event was a Midwifery andMaternity Symposium in Al Ain at Kanad hospital and the other was a conference titled: Empowering Midwives Unified. Autonomous. Essential. U.A.E Conference 2022 in Abu Dhabi organised by Burjeel Farha Hospital. For the latter I was invited to present my research from my PhD exploring midwifery one to one support in labour. I was greeted with a lot of positive reactions as I discussed what I observed midwives doing in midwife-led labour environments when they were only allocated one woman to care for in labour. Some midwives became very emotional. Our midwifery connections are growing. When we now attend such midwifery events, we recognise people.
Meanwhile Dr Maeve supported two FCHS events. Firstly, an Open day where the student midwives were helping to explain the concept of midwifery to high school students so that they could consider midwifery as a career choice. Also, as part of the new-born course, Dr Maeve supported the student midwives to create an event for Safer Sleep week 13-19th March 2023 led by the Lullaby Trust (2023). The student midwives created two sleeping baskets illustrating safe and unsafe sleeping environments, printed posters, made puzzles and labelled sweets with a safer sleep logo for FCHS students to enjoy after being educated about safer sleep practises.
We spoke about recruitment last year: it is back!!! This time we also had the student midwives to help us. They described the roles of the midwife in pregnancy, labour and postpartum and why they chose midwifery. We already have some students that have transferred onto the midwifery programme ready for August 2023. It is unbelievable that a second year is approaching, and we will have two cohorts of student midwives.
Supporting us to support the student midwives:
We are getting increasing support to aid us with our teaching. Avon Strahle, Assistant Director of Nursing at Dubai Hospital has just stepped down from being the President of the Emirates Nursing Association- Midwifery Section in the UAE. Avon knitted breasts for each student midwife and one for Dr Maeve and me to help the student midwives learn about breastfeeding. Clinical midwives have been so supportive, willing the midwifery programme to work. We are also now members of the Emirates Nursing Association – Midwifery Section and plan to get our students involved.
What next:
We will continue to work towards accreditation. The accreditation has progressed further with no requirements not met which is excellent feedback. We only have a few requirements now that are partially met and the evidence for these requirements will be completed once we have completed our first clinical placement.
We are looking forward to celebrating the International Day of the Midwife 5th May 2023 at the FCHS Ajman campus. We have arranged to share the celebration with Dr Victoria Hanson Assistant Professor at Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) University leading a MSc midwifery programme. The RAK University midwifery MSc students will also join us. #InitTogether
We are also mega excited about having our presentation and poster accepted for the International Confederation of midwives in Bali in June 2023.
Overall, the first six months of the BSc Midwifery degree programme in Abu Dhabi have been really satisfying and we have been successful in equipping student midwives with necessary skills, knowledge, promoting midwifery and inspiring students to be passionate about midwifery.
It takes a village, and we are so grateful to all the support we have gained from so many people in Abu Dhabi and further afield.
We cannot wait for the next chapter to experience clinical placements.
As always… watch this space!!!
Reference
Lullaby Trust (2023) Safer Sleep Week 2023 https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/about-us/safer-sleep-week/
Dr Gina Sosa
FCHS
Abu Dhabi
April 2023
For previous articles in the series see:
Strengthening Global midwifery: Starting the journey in the United Arab Emirates https://maternityandmidwifery.co.uk/strengthening-global-midwifery/
Supporting the National Strategy for Midwifery in the United Arab Emirates
Recruiting student midwives in the United Arab Emirates for a New Midwifery Programme
https://maternityandmidwifery.co.uk/?s=SOsa
Midwifery in Abu Dhabi is here!
https://maternityandmidwifery.co.uk/midwifery-in-abu-dhabi-is-here/