Royal College of Midwives shortlists Salford course for top award
Student midwives
An undergraduate course for the care of acutely ill pregnant women which was implemented at the University of Salford has been shortlisted for an award by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM).
The RCM Annual Awards are held to reward the professional excellence, hard work and dedication of the UK’s midwives. This year the introduction of the Maternal Acute Illness Management (Maternal AIM©) course to Salford’s midwifery degree programme has reached the final stages of the Johnson’s Baby Award for Excellence in Midwifery Education.
Maternal AIM© enables student midwives to develop the skills required for the early recognition, assessment and management of pregnant women who are acutely ill. It was developed for registered midwives by the Greater Manchester Critical Care Network following the publication of Saving Mothers’ Lives – a review of maternal deaths by the Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries.
School of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Work lecturer Rose McCarthy co-authored Maternal AIM© and worked with fellow lecturer Janet Nuttall to introduce it to Salford’s undergraduate degree curriculum – the first university in the country to do so.
Rose said: “The course is a vital contribution to the education of student midwives. It is an enjoyable and interactive course which improves students’ confidence and skill in the recognition, early management and referral of acute illness in childbearing women.”
Cathy Warwick, chief executive of the RCM, said: “This year we have had a record number of entries for our awards and the standard has been incredibly high, so I congratulate Rose and Janet on getting this far, and wish them luck at the awards ceremony.
“It is so important that midwives and maternity services keep thinking about the services they offer and continue to innovate so that they can give the most up to date and beneficial care for women, babies and families.”
The RCM Annual Awards 2013 will be held at The Brewery in London on 24 January.
