How you will learn
You will spend 50% of your programme in clinical practice being supervised and assessed by clinical staff. placement experience provides opportunities for you to experience pregnancy and childbearing over the full continuum and includes shorter spoke placements offering a variety of experience in areas such as special care baby units, theatres and strengthening family's teams.
Although your course will be taught in Carlisle for 50% of your course. The other 50% will be spent on placement, we have a range of placement circuits either within a 90-minute drive of Carlisle or within a 90-minute drive of Lancaster. This has in the past has included areas such as Preston, Chorley, Blackpool and Lancaster. For more information about our placement options available, get in contact with us or find out more at an open day.
Elective placement weeks are built into each year of the programme where some students take the opportunity to experience midwifery practise elsewhere in the country and/or abroad.
The theory is delivered by expert teaching staff and is based on the latest evidence and research, using modern teaching methods and technology. your learning activities will include conferences, visiting speakers, and socialising with other student midwives.
How you will be assessed
A range of assessment methods has been selected to enhance your learning and to help you to demonstrate how you have achieved all the module and programme learning outcomes and aims.
Formative and summative assessments are utilised to enable you to progress and build knowledge for practice coherently and logistically. Formative assessments are designed so that feedback on your performance is provided before the final, summative assessment – though this does not contribute to the final module mark or the credit awarded.
Summative assessment in modules utilises authentic assessment methods focusing on you using and applying knowledge and skills in real-life settings. Authentic assessment will help you to contextualise your learning and to see how real-life conditions or situations, in all their unpredictability, ambiguity and complexity, affects your theoretical knowledge.
You have the opportunity across the programme to reflect on your progression and development. These personal reflections contribute to and are evidenced in assessments through a variety of means.
Types and methods of assessment will include professional discussions, written assignments, Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE’s), presentations, portfolio and dissertation. Authentic assessment methods are utilised to provide effective feedback and feedforward recommendations to enable your success.
NMC Standards for Proficiency in Clinical Practice
Our learning and teaching strategies are based on the philosophy that midwives occupy a privileged position within society.
There is a longitudinal practice module each year taking place over multiple placements per year. All placements in years 1 and 2 are summative and must be passed to progress on to the final year. All placements must be passed to enable registration with the NMC.
You can attempt to recoup failed placements, however, a second failure will result in disqualification for the programme. Your acquisitions of skills and achievements in NMC proficiencies in clinical practice will determine your registration as a NMC certified nurse. Professionalism, attitude, values, and character will also determine success.
NMC Standards for Proficiency in Clinical Practice
The NMC proficiencies will include one practice module per year which, will be summatively assessed and graded.
A failed placement will be allowed one further attempt to recoup the fail. Failure of a second attempt at practice assessment will normally mean discontinuation from the programme. Qualified Practice Assessors assess your acquisition of skills and achievement of the NMC proficiencies in clinical practice. Practice Assessors alongside Academic Assessors will confirm you are proficient to progress to NMC registration. Practice Supervisors and Assessors involve service users opinions when assessing you.
Your professionalism, attitude, good health and character are vital aspects of this assessment. Most theoretical work is linked to practice in some way and assessors will explore your underpinning knowledge, and how your personal and professional characteristics impact performance.