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NB (this is work in progress and is not being initiated at present. These are simply some ideas that we are working on that may or may not be adopted into the bachelor of midwifery program)
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Communities of practice

Studies consistently find health professionals prefer to access information and research evidence through communities of practice. Communities of practice may be used for problem solving, sharing information, sharing resources or discussing developments as well as establishing where there is existing knowledge or gaps in knowledge and highlighting areas requiring further investigation (Gabbay & Le May, 2004; Tolson McAloon, Hotchkiss & Schofield, 2005; Wenger, 2006). Communities of practice provide an opportunity to share narratives of practice while generating new ideas through reflection within a group. The purpose is to bring people with a common knowledge base together to explore ideas, share experiences and provide opportunities to highlight aspects of practice which would benefit from further research, thereby contributing new evidence to the group (Wenger, McDermott & Snyder, 2002).

Midwifery communities of practice

Midwives also prefer to share and learn through practice groups or communities of practice (Fahey & Monaghan, 2005; McIntosh, 2007). Learning and reflecting in a group helps to identify implications and possibilities for implementation, while being able to identify and strategise problems which may arise. The internet, and new social networking technologies, offer increasing possibilities for midwives to come together in communities of practice, even if they are geographically isolated. Midwives are aware that, when they come across an unusual circumstance, others may benefit from the research and learning that they do to inform their practice (McIntosh, 2007). Utilising online networking tools can provide opportunities and mechanisms for this to happen. Midwives, who are participating in postgraduate distance education, can establish supportive networks with others, who are studying the same topics, and share learning resources and ideas.

Undergraduate midwives communities of practice

Undergraduate midwives need to develop skills in using social networking tools from an early stage in their midwifery studies. The opportunity to reflect and learn in a group through online networking tools will provide supportive learning opportunities which will continue to benefit students as they move through the three years of the Bachelor of Midwifery degree course.Learning skills in using these technologies will continue to benefit them as they move into midwifery practice.

First and second year midwifery students

I have been considering the possibilities of students using blogs to support their learning and collaboration with one another. The concern in a clinical programme is the confidentiality of the client and the clinical circumstances the student has been involved in. I have created a page for students to prepare a fictional blog entry a student might make [ possible blog entries on clinical topics ]. You are invited to go there and create something you think might be appropriate. Currently in our undergraduate midwifery programme students meet together in tutorial groups and with a supervising lecturer once a fortnight. There are occasions. during holidays or when the students are on clinical block experience when there are long breaks in this contact. Using a blog might help to fill some of these gaps. It is possible to set up a blog which is only open to the particular group of participants which may allay some of the confidentiality and security concerns about clinical students blogging.

Third year midwifery students

Students in the third year of the Bachelor of Midwifery program are participating in an apprenticeship year. They will be in practice with midwives around New Zealand and may also be overseas. Wherever the student is there is always internet access available. This may be in the facility which is accessed by the midwives the students are working with, it may be in a library or it may be at an internet cafe. Using a class is one way to support students in a community of practice. Students can continue to share experiences they have through blogs and regular online tutorial discussions through elluminate. Students who are not on placement would need to attend these tutorial groups discussions, to maintain contact with the group and to share in the learning experience.

New graduate midwives

New Graduate midwives will, during the three years of the Bachelor of Midwifery course, have already established a supportive community of practice with their fellow graduates. On entering the work force they will be working with other midwives in a community of practice in the area in which they are working. Maintaining a diversities of communities of practice adds depth and richness to the information available to the individual (Boud, 2003). Midwives will by now feel confident in online communication and may develop other diverse communities of practice. In addition, midwives working in isolated rural areas, with few opportunities to debrief with a mentor may find online mentoring is a useful method for achieving the requirements of the first year of midwifery practice .

References

Boud, D., & Middleton, H. (2003). Learning from others at work: communities of practice and informal learning. Journal of workplace learning, 15(5), 194-202.

Gabbay, J., & Le-May, A. (2004). Evidence based guidelines or collectively constructed "mindlines"? Ethnographic study of knowledge management in primary care. British medical journal, 329, 1013-1017.

Fahey, C. M., & Monaghan, J. S. (2005). Australian rural midwives: perspectives on continuing professional development [Electronic Version]. Rural and remote health, 5. Retrieved 25th June 2006 from http://rrh.deakin.edu.au.

McIntosh, C. (2007). Wise womens' web: Rural midwives communities of practice. A qualitative descriptive study. Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree of Master in Midwifery at Otago Polytechnic,Dunedin, New Zealand.

Tolson, D., McAloon, M., Hotchkiss, R., & Schofield, I. (2005). Progressing evidence-based practice: an effective nursing model? Journal of advanced nursing, 50(2), 124-133.

Wenger, E. (2006). Communities of practice, a brief introduction. Retrieved 29th December 2006, from http://www.ewenger.com/theory/index.htm

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