I had a conversation with another student this week about how the weeks seemed to really drag when we were waiting for interviews and offers and start dates. Now we are here, as student midwives, the weeks are just FLYING past, and I understand what the third years mean when they say it’s a whirlwind! You can take a look at my week 7 here.
On Monday there was a session on evidence based practice, looking at guidelines and policies, how they have changed over the years, and how we can ensure we are offering the best level of care in practice. This all feeds back to our reflective essay too.
Tuesday was mock passive OSCE day. The passive OSCE is a written paper covering all the clinical skills we have learnt so far, and you need 10 marks for a pass. I did 2 practice papers, which we marked together as a class straight afterwards. I got 25 and 21 marks on those, so was left feeling a lot more confident that when I started!
Wednesday was a private study day – I had a look at some of the active (practical) OSCE revision guides and referenced some of my essay – these deadlines are creeping up!
Thursday was a whole new level of midwifery. We covered the fetal skull (suture lines, fontanelles, skull diameters) and the female pelvis (pelvic floor, bones, muscles, diameters and their relation to the mechanism of labour). Wow. It was……..intense! Definitely something I need to go back to at some point and read through again.
On Friday we were given the chance to go into uni for active OSCE revision. There were several different OSCE stations set up for us to practice on, with lecturers and current students there to guide us. I don’t know if it made me feel better or worse?! But it was great to have the opportunity to try them in a real OSCE style, and all the practice can only be a positive thing come next week…..right?!
So next week is a biggie. Mock OSCE tomorrow, a few uni lectures and the REAL OSCE on Friday, before we head off into placement! Eeeeek! This has all got a bit real now!
