Preparing student midwives to care for bereaved parents

Caring for bereaved parents after the death of a baby is emotionally challenging for midwives. There is a lack of discussion and debate in the literature of how student midwives are prepared to undertake this role. This article describes the way student midwives undertaking 3 year and 18 month courses, in one university in the UK, are prepared to care for bereaved parents and their evaluation of this preparation. Verbal feedback and student's comments in the form of reflective writing formed the basis of the evaluation. Evaluation of the preparation included a focus on the use of the support group the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society, as this aspect has received little attention in the literature. In the analysis of the student feedback five main themes emerged. These were dealing with death and bereaved families, anxieties and fears, teaching strategies, user representation and preparedness for practice. Teaching about death is challenging and there is a need to share how educators undertake this task and to learn from each other. It is hoped that this discussion will stimulate a debate surrounding this issue.