The use of drama within midwifery education to facilitate the understanding of professional behaviour and values

Objective:
To develop student midwife understanding of professional values and the application of these in clinical practice, prior to commencing their first clinical placement.

Design:
An action research project.

Setting:
A Simulation Suite environment within a University setting.

Participants: 6 year 3 drama students and a cohort of 36 midwifery students.

Findings:
The students were supportive of the idea of collaborative projects as this permitted the facilitation of student understanding of key professional values and their application in the clinical setting.

Key Conclusions:
The students felt that the move away from a didactic approach to learning and teaching towards a more experiential model of teaching, enabled a more in depth reflection on the importance of professional standards and behaviour when providing care to pregnant women.