Teaching Labor Support: An Interprofessional Simulation.

Support for women during labor encompasses the continuous presence of a person who provides psychosocial, emotional, and physical support. Providing labor support to women in the intrapartum setting is a core midwifery competency and a clinical skill that midwifery students are expected to master. Instruction on labor support is a common objective in midwifery education intrapartum courses and skills labs, yet there is no standard for teaching this skill to midwifery students. Thus, in order to accomplish this objective, we created an interprofessional simulation on labor support that involves the use of a standardized patient, a written scenario, an interprofessional team of nursing and midwifery students, faculty observations, and a reflective debrief. The goals of the labor support simulation are to allow midwifery students the opportunity to practice intrapartum labor support techniques and interprofessional communication prior to entering the clinical setting. A postsimulation structured debrief allows for student learning and reflection. This article describes the design, planning, and implementation of this unique simulation experience. This article is part of a special series of articles that address midwifery innovations in clinical practice, education, interprofessional collaboration, health policy, and global health.