Helping student midwives become safe practitioners: effective teaching of cardiotocograph interpretation

Abstract

It is crucial that, at the point of registration, midwives can competently interpret intrapartum cardiotocographs (CTGs). It is therefore important that practice assessors are confident teaching the safe and accurate interpretation of CTGs to the students they support. This paper uses a case study to examine how CTG interpretation can be taught most effectively. Humanistic learning theories can be used to create a psychologically safe-learning environment which is enjoyable for both the student and the practice assessor. Using a taxonomy of learning enables midwives to help the student develop higher order thinking skills, while understanding the learning style of that individual student allows midwives to incorporate tailored teaching in their clinical work. In addition to providing feedback, it is beneficial to encourage self-reflection and the student midwife's newly learned skills can be solidified by peer teaching.