During the second year of my midwifery program, I participated in an international placement at the Matsugaoka Birth Centre in Tokyo, Japan. It was an incredible experience that reignited my passion for midwifery and has left a lasting impact on how I will practice as a midwife.
Kelly Whiting (BSc Midwifery student)
20 August 2024
Students gain an insight into nursing and midwifery through elective placements
In 2024, 46 second-year nursing and 15 midwifery students undertook electives, with the majority opting for international elective placements.
Of those who opted to take electives as part of their course, 18 nursing and 11 midwifery students opted for international placements.
Three Jikei student exchanges were awarded, usually offered to only two Child and Adult Nursing students as an opportunity for them to gain an international perspective of nursing through clinical placements in Japan. Students undertake 150 hours of unassessed clinical practice supported by a mentor in Jikei, Tokyo.
Three McNeelance Travel Scholarships were also awarded. These offer nursing students £750 each to assist with costs for an international elective.
International destinations varied widely, including Australia, Ghana, Egypt, Japan, Malaysa, Nepal, the Philippines, Tanzania and Vietnam for nursing, and Bangladesh, Japan, the Philippines, Tanzania and Vietnam for midwifery.
Students also undertook national and research electives. National electives offer the chance for students to experience different nursing and midwifery settings, such as a community non-clinical pathway or midwifery care in rural areas such as the Scottish Highlands. Research electives give an insight into what nursing and midwifery research can look like, including applying for funding and learning about different academics’ particular research interests to see what is possible. The research elective provided an individualised approach and enabled students to feel a sense of community in their placements.
International elective placements provide students with an opportunity to experience learning in a variety of settings different to the clinical placements offered as part of their programmes. For example, international elective students may experience a holistic approach to midwifery that is not often seen in the UK or be exposed to clinical situations no longer common in the UK such as vaginal breech birth.
In line with student feedback, work is being done to refine and improve the electives experience for future cohorts.
For more information about student electives and exchanges, read our recent feature which includes testimonials from students who completed different kinds of electives.