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Original poster

Medical students

39 replies

Zahrah5 · 27/02/2015 12:56

Hi

our midwife at antenatal class advised to think about agreeing or disagreeing to having medical students and students midwives present at birth.

Im booked to give birth at birth center and will aim for waterbirth so far.
She said that the advantage of student midwife will be that she will be with us 24/7 and will not look after other ladies nor attend medical emergency alarms. Regular midwife might leave us alone while she tends to her other patients.

I had couple of appts at antenatal clinic with student midwives and found the experience positive, they were much more willing to listen and spend more time with me.

My concern is the lack of privacy and intimacy if she will be with us all the time during labour what can be a long time.

I am inclined to say no to medical students- junior doctors who come to birth center to observe more natural births. I dont want observers.

Anyone can advise, and has experience with this?

Also I feel like I would not want a male student, how likely is there be a male midwife student? Do you think its OK to put in birth plan only female student midwife?

OP posts:
helly29 · 27/02/2015 20:58

Do whatever you're comfortable with - it is completely your choice. However, if you feel you can it is a wonderful thing to do for a student - I'm a doctor and remember being so grateful to the women and their partners who let me observe their births - it was amazing. I didn't get involved in anything like stitching - just passing things as needed/blood pressure etc. You can always change your mind and ask them to leave if you feel uncomfortable.

I do of course understand why people would be less comfortable with a male student, but I do remember feeling so sorry for my male colleagues when we were training - the majority spent their whole placements hanging around in corridors having been sent out of the room and learning nothing. I'd rather have all students get the training/experience they need to help future patients, so long as the supervision is good enough.

Having said that - I'm still debating whether to have medical students at my delivery (student midwives are fine) - but only because I run the chance that they may be future colleagues!

olympicsrock · 27/02/2015 21:24

I was a medical student and our job was to support the mother during labour in small ways getting drinks reassuring them etc. We were allowed to ask them towards the end if it would be possible to deliver the baby and or be present and the answer usually depended on very or not we had been polite helpful and unobtrusive so we all tried very hard. I found it a very special moving experience. We were supervised very closely by a senior midwife and did keep an eye out for problems when the me was busy.

PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom · 27/02/2015 22:02

I said yes to student mw's. Yes to medical students shadowing a senior doctor or staying a significant period . No to people piling in for delivery or because something interesting was happening.

DinoSnores · 27/02/2015 22:57

When I was a medical student on my delivery suite block, I was shadowing the midwives so did the same as the student midwives, although obviously didn't do as many deliveries as them. We were very well supervised and each time it was an amazing experience to be there and to be able to help.

I've always said yes to both medical and midwifery students. A student MW was present at DC1's birth, her first home birth, and DC3 was delivered by a student MW.

helly, I've thought exactly the same about future colleagues. Can you imagine introducing yourself to your new junior doctor? "Hello, I'm Dr Snores, the consultant. You are...ah. yes, I think we might have met before..." Grin

helly29 · 28/02/2015 00:22

Exactly Dr Snores! Not sure who would be more embarrassed in that scenario, but not sure I want to find out!

slightlyinsane · 28/02/2015 11:50

I've always said yes to students of any form at any point during pregnancy and labour. The mw I had for my twins wasn't a student but newly qualified and loved delivering the twins because they don't get them that often, we were her first since qualifying. I am very much of the mind that they have to learn and build up their experiences.
We recently had a pead appointment for the twins and had 2 very young very new into training drs. They were each handed a screaming baby, both the consultant and I were quietly chuckling away in the corner. Best contraception ever.

applecore0317 · 28/02/2015 23:22

I wouldn't be bothered by a male student midwife. Any consultant I have had for gynae things and also my current cervix checks have been male as have the people doing the trans vaginal scans.

Most of my friends have said that once your in labour that you won't care less

applecore0317 · 28/02/2015 23:22

*you're

Sorry.

MuddyWellyNelly · 01/03/2015 00:10

Interesting question. I've had several male doctors look up my foof during IVF so that doesn't worry me in the slightest. And I've had med students in the room during consultations. Usually I've known more than them about infertility Now that I'm finally pregnant I will allow one observer I think (MW or med student) but no practicing of skills on me I'm afraid. And if I feel it's all getting a bit rowdy I will be evicting people pronto!

holidaysarenice · 01/03/2015 00:25

As a student I've been at many theatre deliveries where the parent didn't even know I was a student/was there.

There is one parent who will always remember me. The mother who had lost several babies and a stillborn. Why? Because I stopped to give her a peek and a very fast touch of her baby as we whisked him off to nicu.

Students can give a different prospective.

PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom · 01/03/2015 00:29

I said yes to students in theatre (if that happened ). As long as it wasn't a gaggle treating me as a case study.

BeatriceBumble · 01/03/2015 00:36

I agree that students can give a different prospective - but as a patient, holidaysarenice, I wouldn't be happy to have one in the theatre, not introduced to me, as a casual observer or gawker.

NickyEds · 01/03/2015 10:37

I was really happy having a student mw with my son.I'd been in the MLU and more or less abandoned by the mw there so when I had to be augmented it was nice to have someone there all of the time. I had the feeling that every "i" was dotted etc because she was a student- if anything it was all of the other mw who were horrid. She didn't actually deliver ds alone though, another mw came in and the registrar had to sew me up (tore to buggery).It wouldn't have bothered me at all having a male mw or student mw but I can't imagine it being a problem if you'd prefer a woman.
Medical students on the other hand, I said no to having any there in my birth plan. DP has to lecturer to medical students on the odd occasion and said he's never met one he'd be happy to have at the birth!

katiegeee · 01/03/2015 15:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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