Construction and implementation of a comprehensive midwifery skills practice course based on scenario simulation teaching: An action research

Abstract

Background

Midwives play a crucial role in maternal and newborn health, highlighting the need for quality education. Guided by the International Confederation of Midwives' core competencies, the Comprehensive Midwifery Skills Practice (CMSP) course integrates simulation-based learning (SBL) to bridge theory and practice, enhancing students' midwifery competence.

Aim

To construct and implement the CMSP course using SBL, and to investigate its effectiveness on the level of core competence among undergraduate midwifery students.

Design and methods

An action research design was employed. Teachers constructed and optimized the CMSP course by formulating two cycles of “plan-action-observation-reflection” among midwifery students from the 2020 and 2021 classes. Competency was evaluated before and after the course, impressions were gathered through simulated teaching evaluations, and different kinds of qualitative data were collected.

Results

The CMSP course included 12 lessons, 37 teaching cases, 128 midwifery activity scenes, and a resource library. It won the provincial Teaching Innovation Competition and was recognized as a first-class undergraduate course. Midwifery competency evaluation showed significant improvements in professional skills (P = 0.039, Cohen's d = 0.554) and behavior (P = 0.024, Cohen's d = 0.457) for the 2020 cohort, and in total score, knowledge, skills, and behavior for the 2021 cohort (all P < 0.05, Cohen's d > 0.5). Simulated teaching evaluations improved across all dimensions, with notable enhancements in Learning Methods and Expectations (2020) and in Active Learning, Cooperation, Learning Methods, and Simulation (2021) (all P < 0.05). Overall, the students' rich experiences translated to gaining professional growth while experiencing learning difficulties.

Conclusion

The constructed and refined CMSP course is both feasible and effective in enhancing midwifery students' core competencies, promoting systematic clinical and research thinking, strengthening teamwork skills, improving adaptability, and fostering professional confidence and growth. Additionally, given the reported learning dilemmas, it is recommended that teachers actively guide and encourage flexible, independent learning while continuously enriching and optimizing the course resource library.