Facilitating midwifery students on an international placement: Clinical facilitator perspectives

Abstract

Studies have described the value of international clinical placements from the student perspective. However, little has been reported on the experiences of clinical facilitators during international clinical placements. This study is part of a larger study that explored shared learning experiences of Australian and Balinese midwifery students and clinical facilitators during a two-week international clinical placement in Bali, Indonesia. This paper reports on the experiences of clinical facilitators from both visiting and host countries in facilitating Australian and Balinese midwifery students whilst on clinical placement in Bali. A qualitative research design using focus group discussion was used to gain insight into the experience of the clinical facilitators. Data was analysed using thematic analysis and three broad themes emerged, those being “new experiences”, “differences in midwifery practice” and “revised learning approach”. New experiences included learning together and English language challenges. Working together allowed the exploration of midwifery practice differences between countries and an appreciation of the different approaches to teaching and learning practices. These findings suggest that international midwifery placements benefit clinical facilitators from host and visiting countries through learning together, creating new experiences and exploring different midwifery and facilitation practices.