Innovative Approaches in Midwifery Education

Overview

In midwifery education, simulations often cover areas such as labor and neonatal care, emergency management, birth complications, and routine maternal care. High-reality simulation mannequins allow students to practice a variety of skills, such as managing normal deliveries and complications, providing care during caesarean section, or performing initial interventions on the newborn. It increases knowledge, critical thinking, confidence and competence, especially in obstetric emergencies where clinical exposure may be limited. Simulation supports the development of both technical and non-technical skills, including teamwork. To be effective, simulation needs to include briefing (feedback), good communication, observation, repetition, reflection and evaluation. However, it remains a valuable tool for creating safe learning environments that mimic real clinical scenarios without patient risk. It helps students practice staying calm and working in an organized manner in the face of stressful situations they may encounter in real life.

Instead of the tension and pressure that can be experienced in real patient care, simulations alleviate students' fear of making mistakes by providing a safe environment. This reduces stress and allows students to feel more relaxed. As students have the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and make amends, they can act more confidently when faced with stressful situations. However, it should not be ignored that simulation may cause stress in some students. Since simulations confront students with situations that are close to real clinical scenarios, they may cause students to feel intense pressure, especially in complex or emergency situations. Although there are no real patients in the simulation environment, the realism of the scenarios and the evaluation of their performance by the instructors may increase the stress level in some students. However, this type of stress is usually considered as part of a positive learning process because it allows students to experience less stress when they face similar situations later on. Managing stress during simulation training is also an important part of the training. Post-simulation feedback and evaluation sessions help students to review their emotional and psychological state. This process can help students to evaluate themselves, develop strategies to cope with stress and feel less anxious in the future. In addition, teamwork and collaboration among students during the simulation can also be effective in stress management. Their ability to communicate within the team, receive support and solve problems together contributes to students' relaxation by reducing stress levels.