Teaching high-dependency midwifery in China
Dr Sam Bassett, Lead Midwife for Education and Deputy Head of the Department of Midwifery, and Dr Julia Philippou, Lecturer in the Department of Midwifery, travelled to Nanjing, China, to deliver professional development courses to staff at Nanjing Health School. This education was offered as part of the ongoing partnership between the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery and Nanjing Health School.
Dr Sam Bassett reports on her experiences in Nanjing:
Our journey began with a long flight from London to Shanghai and a bullet train to Nanjing. On arrival, Julia Philippou and I were feeling pretty nervous, acutely aware that we were the first lecturers from the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery to deliver any modules at the Nanjing Health School. However, these concerns were soon quickly forgotten, given the warm and supportive welcome we received at every stage of our visit.
We spent three days giving ‘train the trainer’ sessions to a group comprising ten midwifery and nursing lecturers. Teaching through an interpreter took some getting used to, but it gave us an invaluable insight into the clinical practice and education the lecturers had experienced thus far. During this time, I was also fortunate enough to visit Jiangsu women’s hospital, where they conduct a staggering 20,000 deliveries a year.
Over the next two and a half days, we delivered bespoke courses on midwifery skills for high dependency units and evidence-based practice. These were given to 50 delegates, who were senior midwives and nurses from across the Jiangsu region. Whilst there were similarities between the two groups, there was also many differences in clinical practice and education, and both parties had the opportunity to learn from each other.
Overall, our educational visit to Nanjing was very fruitful, and we were delighted to spend time in China teaching key midwifery skills and evidence-based practice to both lecturers and healthcare workers. It was also fascinating to have the opportunity to learn from and experience a system that delivers midwifery and healthcare on such a large scale. We look forward to returning to teach further midwifery modules in future.