Advancing Nurse-Midwifery Education: A Quality Improvement Initiative for Competency-Based Intrapartum Skills...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Maternal Health
• Simulation Technology

Background:

• Maternal morbidity and mortality rates in the US are unacceptably high.
• Competent midwifery care is essential for addressing factors like limited access and social determinants of health.
• There's a need for improved midwifery education, assessment tools, and skill development documentation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of an intrapartum simulation laboratory for midwifery students.
• To assess student preparedness and competency through simulation.
• To gather student feedback for laboratory improvement.

Main Methods:

• A quality improvement project utilized a modified National League for Nursing tool.
• Third-semester midwifery students completed pre- and post-laboratory surveys.
• Surveys included Likert scale questions on confidence and qualitative questions for feedback.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant improvements were noted in student confidence post-laboratory.
• Students reported increased confidence in skills, alignment with learning styles, and trust in faculty.
• Qualitative feedback provided suggestions for laboratory enhancement.

Conclusions:

• Intentional teaching strategies and simulation technologies effectively enhance midwifery education.
• Increasing competent midwives is vital for reducing maternal morbidity and mortality.
• Simulation approaches can be adapted for other nursing specialties.