Optimising the Follow-through Experience for Midwifery Learning

Abstract

This chapter is based on research that sought to understand the midwifery learning that occurs through a continuity clinical practice model called the follow-through experience. The follow-through experience is a core component of the midwifery curriculum and students are required to undertake 30 of these experiences over the 3-year Bachelor of Midwifery programme. Midwifery students engage with pregnant women and negotiate to observe and participate in their antenatal, birth, and postnatal experience. This continuity of care practice model enables the midwifery student to enact the intended curriculum, resulting in rich experiential learning. This research has also identified unintended learning that arose from a hidden curriculum. A conceptual model to support learning before, during, and after the follow-through experience is proposed.