The experience of student midwives being taught newborn infant physical examination (NIPE) as an extracurricular activity at a university in the UK: A descriptive survey study

Abstract

Although newborn infant physical examination has been part of midwifery practice in the United Kingdom for several decades, very few undergraduate programmes incorporate the theory and practice of newborn examination within the midwifery curriculum. Qualified midwives therefore, often develop this knowledge and these skills as part of their continuous professional development. This paper explores the experience of undergraduate midwifery students being taught newborn infant physical examination knowledge, skills and competencies as an extra-curricular activity alongside qualified midwives. Newly qualified midwives involved with the initiative undertook an online survey which consisted of a mixture of closed and open questions which allowed the expansion of some answers with open text. The qualitative data was explored by thematically analysing the responses. This small study demonstrates the feasibility of providing newborn infant physical examination as an extra-curricular activity to students undertaking a standard undergraduate midwifery programme.All participants agreed that this learning should be undertaken whilst still a student. The benefits identified were for the midwife herself including women and NHS employers. Midwives felt their confidence, knowledge and skills around neonatal issues had increased, women experienced better continuity of care and employers benefitted from the increased number of professionals who could undertake this assessment.

Missed or delayed diagnosis of anorectal malformations: a review of the literature, current training and practice in the UK in relation to detection via the NIPE programme

“…However, they did not specifically assess efficacy of the NIPE programme in meeting national standards. In a review of the education and training of NIPE in the midwife undergraduate programme, Cescutti-Butler and Way42 show that ‘currently in the UK, there is no national standard that mandates for the education of NIPE and therefore different models are emerging’—ranging from no content being taught, to theory only and no practice being taught, or to all the content being taught. This is set against the recent publication of revised standards of proficiency for midwives43 (NMC, 2019), which includes a required outcome that student midwives can conduct a ‘full systematic physical examination of the newborn infant in line with local and national evidence-based protocols’ by the end of their programme.…”

A study to evaluate the introduction of the Newborn Infant Physical Examination knowledge and skills into an undergraduate pre-registration midwifery education programme

“…Two separate, but related studies were undertaken exploring the student experience of introducing the NIPE requirements. The first was to offer several small groups of students in their final year, to join with qualified midwives and complete the continuous professional development module, Examination of the Newborn (EXON) as an extra-curricular activity (Cescutti-Butler and Way, 2020).…”