Hi everyone my name is Fiona Coffey I am a
Student Practice Facilitator (SPF)/Lecturer in the School of Midwifery based in
the Capital. I am engaging with the course towards the end of my maternity
leave after having my second gorgeous son, this has renewed my empathy with
students who also juggle their competing personal aspirations with everyday
life and study (time is a precious commodity). Engaging with my profession as a
consumer has strengthened my perspective and passion for the role of midwives
in our communities and in turn my part in ensuring that graduates are well
prepared to enter this workforce.
As an SPF a significant part of my role is
pastoral care and within the blended delivery model of the distance midwifery
curriculum I feel like a bit of a personal trainer trying to help my group keep
engaged and on track. The student group I am focusing on for the purpose
of this course is the return to practice midwife. This person is a midwife who no longer meets
the recertification programme requirements for a license to practice and have
been instructed by the midwifery council to undertake a return to practice
programme. Within this group I am particularly interested in the midwife who
has had an extended break from practice and has never participated in the
midwifery standards review process. These learners are almost certainly women
who would be middle aged or older. It is
likely that their undergraduate study may have been completed through a
hospital based training scheme rather than through an academic institution
graduating with a diploma rather than a degree. Formal academic work is likely
to be a daunting prospect. Flexible learning is important to assist midwives to remain embedded in their communities. New Zealand has a shortage of midwives especially in rural areas and we need to find ways to facilitate our dormant workforce to return. I would like to develop a module of a course focused on midwifery standards review that is inclusive of flexible learning pedagogy. Midwifery standards review is cyclic licencing requirement which demonstrates professional development ongoing in line with the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/regulation-health-and-disability-system/health-practitioners-competence-assurance-act
I look forward to learning and engaging with you all throughout the progression of the Flexible Learning course.
Hello Fee What a wonderful description of your work and interest in flexible learning. You have identified a group of learners who are becoming increasingly common - people who are making a change in their working lives. I tend to count motherhood as working. :) Also, professionals who need to update their skills. Your post illustrates the importance of acknowledging the different requirements that people have for study and the diversity in their learning pathways.
ReplyDeleteThanks yes motherhood is definitely working!
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