[Midwifery Student] How to Reflect on Labor Practice | A Clinical Instructor's Guide to Turning Experience into Growth
Hello! I'm Carrie, a clinical instructor who wants to support midwifery students.🌷
After your midwifery practice ends,
“I couldn't do anything today...”
“I should have been more proactive...”
“I couldn't answer the instructor's questions...”
Do you ever feel down like that?
When I'm supervising students, I often hear them say, “I don't know what I should be reflecting on,” when I tell them to reflect on their day.
However, I believe that reflection is the time when you can grow the most during your practice. It is important to experience many births during your training. But even more important is what you learn from each birth and how you apply it to the next one.
In this post, from the perspective of a clinical instructor, I will share “5 Tips for Reflection” to help you turn your labor practice experiences into growth.👇
1. Reflection is a “Time for Learning,” not a “Self-Criticism Session”
After your practice, you might find yourself only remembering what you couldn't do, thinking, “I failed...” or “I should have studied more...”
Of course, it is important to organize areas for improvement. But I think it's a waste to stop there.
I really want you to also reflect on the perspective of “Why did it go well?”
For example,
・Why did the labor progress smoothly?
・Why was the mother able to stay calm?
・Why did the midwife speak up at this specific moment?
・Why did they change the birthing position?
It's easy to end a smooth birth by just saying, “That was good.” But there is always a reason for a positive outcome. Developing the habit of thinking about those reasons will help you develop your perspective for observing future births.
2. Reflect on the “Process of Thinking,” not just the Result
During practice, you might end up only remembering the “result.”
Instead of just ending with the facts, such as “She was a multipara, so the baby was born quickly” or “It became a vacuum-assisted delivery,” try reflecting on how you thought about the situation.
For example,
“Based on the information I had, I thought it would take a little longer” → “But in reality, it progressed faster than I expected” → “Why did I think that?” → “Was there any information I overlooked?”
By reflecting on your own thought process in this way, your knowledge and experience will become connected.
Clinical instructors do not want you to memorize the 'correct answer'.It is because we want to know how you thought about it.
③ Ask about the 'thinking process' of instructors and senior midwives
During clinical practice, it is easy to focus on 'what you did.' However, what I really want you to learn is the thinking process behind 'why you chose that action'.
For example,
'Why did you perform a vaginal examination just now?'
'What information did you look at to predict the progress of labor?'
'What changes in the mother were you paying attention to?'
By asking questions like these, you can learn the clinical thinking process that cannot be learned from textbooks alone. In clinical practice, it is important to learn not only techniques but also the 'thinking' of senior midwives and instructors.
④ Consider a single birth from the perspectives of different professions
In the delivery room, not only midwives but also doctors, pediatric staff, and many other professionals are involved. Even when witnessing the same birth, the points each person focuses on are slightly different.
For example, a midwife might be focusing on the progress of labor and the mother's feelings. A doctor might be thinking about the safety of the mother and child and the timing of medical interventions.
During your practice, try reflecting with the perspective of 'What were the different professionals looking at and thinking about?' This will deepen your understanding of team medicine and allow you to view childbirth from a broader perspective.
⑤ Write down what you have learned
What you learn during clinical practice will gradually fade over time. That is why I recommend that students take notes on their learning.
For example,
・What I learned today
・What I was taught by instructors or senior midwives
・Scenes that left an impression
・Things I want to be conscious of in the next practice
These four points are enough. Instead of just writing 'multiparous women progress quickly,' if you write down new insights such as 'I predicted the progress based on changes in the mother's breathing and facial expressions,' your perspective for the next practice will change.
If you leave experiences as they are, they will fade with time. However, learning that you have put into words will become a valuable asset that will support your future career as a midwife.
Finally, there is one thing I want to tell you. No two births you experience during your practice will ever be the same.
'I only observed today...' 'I couldn't do anything...' There may be days when you feel this way.
But by carefully reflecting on one case you observed and repeatedly asking 'Why?', that experience will gradually become your own knowledge.
In clinical practice, it is important to experience many births. But what is even more important is not the number of experiences, but what you learned from each individual birth.
That accumulation of experience leads to learning that helps you pass the national examination and also builds the clinical judgment skills you will need once you become a midwife.
Please cherish every single birth you attend. I sincerely hope that your labor practice will be a time of fruitful learning.📣