This is how we do it.

The purpose of this article is to explore students' experiences of variations in practice and how this impacts on their learning. This is particularly pertinent in terms of reconfiguration of services instigated by the Department of Health's (DH) Making it better agenda (DH 2007), meaning that many qualified staff are moving hospitals and also experiencing changes in practice. Students are thus being mentored by a range of mentors in a variety of settings, which can often mean that practice can be perceived as inconsistent and even idiosyncratic (Jones et al 2005). This writing is unique in that the midwifery lecturer facilitated the students' development of the work in a truly collaborative piece, developed through a writing and journal club. All details of the practice placements and the student comments have been anonymised.