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Papers by Mary Fitzpatrick

Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 2020

Midwifery, 2019

Background: Assessment of clinical practice is a core component of midwifery education. Clinical ... more Background: Assessment of clinical practice is a core component of midwifery education. Clinical assessment is challenging and affected by a number of factors. Preceptor midwives are reported to be reluctant to fail students in clinical assessments. This is worrying as preceptor midwives are gatekeepers to the profession of midwifery and need to ensure midwifery students are safe and competent practitioners of midwifery on completion of their programmes. Methods: This qualitative descriptive study explores preceptor midwives experiences of clinical assessment of midwifery students in four maternity units in the Republic of Ireland. Following ethical approval, twenty-nine preceptor midwives were interviewed. Content analysis was used to analyse the data and two themes with associated subthemes identified. Findings: Competency assessment in practice was supported by a robust, clearly delineated process, considered vital to ensure effective and fair assessment of midwifery students. The process in place had many advantages but attracted some criticism too, most notably language, documentation and lack of continuity of the preceptor. The challenges of clinical assessment were multifaceted but the most pressing concern was dealing with students who were struggling in practice where the outcome of an assessment was potentially a fail. Preceptor midwives expressed reluctance to fail students but balanced this with ensuring safety for women and their babies. A number of other challenges hampered decisions in clinical assessments. These included the confidence of the preceptor, juggling the competing demands of clinical practice with effective assessment in an increasingly complex and fiscally challenging environment, operationalising the competency assessment process and the emotional toll associated with failing a student. Conclusion: Preceptors' primary focus is on ensuring that graduate midwives are safe and competent practitioners and it is this which guides their decision making on the outcome of clinical assessments. However, more support is required for the onerous responsibility of Highlights Reluctance to fail midwifery students in clinical practice by preceptor midwives is always outweighed by concerns for safety of practice. Failure of clinical practice assessments in midwifery are affected by a multiplicity of factors, many unrelated to student performance. These factors include the increasing complexity of maternity settings, compounded by staff shortages, challenges in operationalising assessment processes and the emotional costs associated with failing a student. Failing a clinical assessment is stressful for both the student and the preceptor midwife and appropriate support needs to be provided to all involved. Preceptorship needs to be valued more particularly from a strategic perspective to recognise preceptors' responsibilities as gatekeepers to the profession of midwifery.

Human Resource Development, 2015

Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 2013

ABSTRACT

Experiences of Clinical Assessment and the Competency Assessment Process in Midwifery The safety ... more Experiences of Clinical Assessment and the Competency Assessment Process in Midwifery The safety of mothers and babies is fundamental in maternity care, hence the importance of robust clinical assessment of pre-registration students in any midwifery programme. The clinical assessment documentation for midwifery programmes in the University of Limerick is reflective of the competency based approach, advocated and adopted by the regulatory body for nurses and midwives in Ireland. The focus of this qualitative descriptive study is to consider the experiences and the process of clinical assessment of midwifery students and midwifery educators perceptions of clinical assessment. Data from this study will also be utilised to develop a questionnaire for completion by assessor midwives. All of the students will be invited to participate in the study in the final months of their programme (May 2013). Data will be collected via focus groups as an effective way of uncovering a range of ideas a...