What I learned at the place called "PeriPri." Reflections after 4 years as an initial member.

Introduction

The activities of "PeriPri" have come to a milestone. At this moment, there is something I really want to convey, so I wrote this note article🌱

It is two feelings: the feeling of gratitude saying "thank you," and the feeling of "I look forward to working with you in the future"🙇‍♀️

What is "PeriPri"?

"PeriPri" is an official SNS project for midwifery students and new midwives launched in 2022 by the perinatal medical journal "Perinatal Care." The name is an abbreviation for "midwifery students and new midwives." The name is an abbreviation for "Perinatal Preceptors."

The core of our activities consists of midwives like me working in the field, and we have been sending out messages to support midwifery students and new midwives through social media📣

The main activities are as follows.

What PeriPri aimed for

PeriPri is an initiative that started with the goal of being a place where people can feel safe consulting about things not found in textbooks or things that new midwives find difficult to ask about in the workplace.

For worries that cannot be solved by textbooks alone, such as clinical practice, job hunting, national exams, and anxieties during the first year, active midwives have been sharing information based on their own experiences📣

My encounter with PeriPri

How I became a member

I have been indebted to "Perinatal Care" since I was a student🙇‍♀️

Even when I didn't feel motivated to study, "Perinatal Care," which allowed me to learn about the perinatal period like a magazine, was a huge help after I started working.

Then, when I started posting on social media to support midwifery students and new midwives, I received a DM from an editor at "Perinatal Care."

At first, it started with a Zoom call where we talked about why I was posting on social media.

I was really happy when the editorial department at the time told me, "Let's give shape to those thoughts!" I knew there were limits to what I could do alone, and I was happy to have such a great ally to help turn my thoughts into reality.

How I felt when I started the activities

I wanted to create a place where students could feel free to consult, reaching those who cannot be reached by magazines alone...

I hoped it would become a place to consult outside of school or work...

That was the thought with which I began sharing information📣

What Peripuri taught me

Insights gained through my activities

There is something I felt strongly through my activities.

It is that the essence of the worries held by new midwives and students in training whom I interact with directly in the field is no different from those I meet through social media.

On the other hand, social media has anonymity. Because of that, there were many people who confided in me with honest feelings and deeper worries that they could not easily voice in the workplace.

Consultations about human relationships, in particular, were very difficult.

As the one receiving the consultation, I only know the world as seen by the person consulting. Because I do not know the background or the other person's thoughts, I have faced each consultation by imagining 'what kind of situation is this person in now, and what are they feeling?' rather than giving a one-sided answer.

Worries about clinical training, anxiety about job hunting, and conflicts after starting work as a new midwife.

I was active in the position of 'answering consultations,' but looking back, it was also a time where I learned 'what they are truly worried about now' and 'how I can be of help to them' by touching upon the real voices of students and new midwives.

Even though I was supposed to be in a position to teach, in reality, I feel that these four years were a time where I was taught many things and was raised as a communicator and as a midwife🙇‍♀️

An unforgettable encounter

During my activities at Peripuri, I once held a 'pre-employment consultation' session on X Spaces.

After that space ended, I received a DM from a midwifery student who had been a listener.

'Carrie-san, your article on clinical training was very helpful.'

The moment I heard those words, my heart was filled with joy.

On the other side of the screen, there are students and new professionals, each working hard while carrying their own anxieties and conflicts.

It is an unforgettable event that taught me that all over again🫶

The thoughts I want to continue sharing

Peripuri is the starting point of my outreach

What midwifery students are truly struggling with.

Job hunting that isn't taught in school.

Worries during clinical practice.

The conflicts faced after starting work as a new midwife.

The four years I spent active in Peripuri were a time of constantly encountering the 'real voices' of individuals that cannot be known through textbooks or the workplace alone.

It is because of that experience that I am who I am today.

That is why I hope to continue sharing my words at my own pace through note. Even if the place where I share changes, the people I want to reach will never change.

Things I want to continue conveying as a midwife in the field

I want to continue carefully sharing, one by one, the things that can only be conveyed by a midwife working in the field, regarding clinical practice, job hunting, new staff education, and careers.

Just as I was encouraged by someone's words when I was anxious back then.

I want to be someone who can tell students and new midwives who are currently working hard amidst anxiety that 'It's okay, you are not alone.'

With that thought in my heart, I will continue to share in my own way.

With gratitude

To the students and new midwives I met at Peripuri, the members I worked with, the editorial team, and everyone who supported me 🫶

Thank you so much 🙇‍♀️

Peripuri taught me that 'sharing has the power to make someone's life a little more positive.'

That is why I will continue to write.

I look forward to your continued support!