Sarah Stewart

The virtual international day of the midwife: social networking for continuing professional development.

In order to maintain competence to practice, midwives must become lifelong learners and engage in education and CPD activities. The Virtual International Day of the Midwife event (VIDM) is a free online annual synchronous conference that uses social networking tools to bring midwives together to network, share research and practice information. This paper presents the evaluation based on the 2010 and 2011 events. Participants appreciated the opportunity to be able to network with colleagues in an international context, believed the event provided access to quality material and presenters, and valued the accessibility and availability of the event and resources. Participants suggested that the event could be improved by making the program more accessible, with sessions spread over several days, as opposed to 24 hours; providing information about appropriate netiquette and extensive advertising. Further research is required to investigate how social networking and initiatives such as the VIDM impact on practice in the long term.

Making practice transparent through e-portfolio

BACKGROUND Midwives are required to maintain a professional portfolio as part of their statutory requirements. Some midwives are using open social networking tools and processes to develop an e-portfolio. However, confidentiality of patient and client data and professional reputation have to be taken into consideration when using online public spaces for reflection. QUESTION There is little evidence about how midwives use social networking tools for ongoing learning. It is uncertain how reflecting in an e-portfolio with an audience impacts on learning outcomes. This paper investigates ways in which reflective midwifery practice be carried out using e-portfolio in open, social networking platforms using collaborative processes. METHODS Using an auto-ethnographic approach I explored my e-portfolio and selected posts that had attracted six or more comments. I used thematic analysis to identify themes within the textual conversations in the posts and responses posted by readers. FINDINGS The analysis identified that my collaborative e-portfolio had four themes: to provide commentary and discuss issues; to reflect and process learning; to seek advice, brainstorm and process ideas for practice, projects and research, and provide evidence of professional development. CONCLUSIONS E-portfolio using open social networking tools and processes is a viable option for midwives because it facilitates collaborative reflection and shared learning. However, my experience shows that concerns about what people think, and client confidentiality does impact on the nature of open reflection and learning outcomes. I conclude this paper with a framework for managing midwifery statutory obligations using online public spaces and social networking tools.

Computer-Mediated social networking for mentoring of health professionals

Health professionals (HPs) appear to be aware of computer-mediated social networking in terms of the software, but there are few examples of it being integrated into clinical practice, education or professional development. Yet social networking has the potential to play a role in the facilitation of mentoring support and professional development which has been recognized as vital to maintaining the recruitment and retention of HPs. This paper describes an ongoing study that is investigating how nurses and allied health staff are making use of an email e-mentoring system that was set up in 2007. The staff have not engaged with the closed email e-mentoring system because of a lack of understanding of mentoring especially in an online context, poor computer skills and an inability to develop a mentoring relationship at a distance. Whilst social networking may not solve all these issues, it has the potential to facilitate a community approach to mentoring which increases access to learning and support opportunities.

The Virtual International Day of the Midwife: A synchronous open online conference for continuing professional development and learning for midwives

AIM: To examine the contribution of the Virtual International Day of the Midwife (VIDM) conference to midwives’ continuing professional development (CPD). BACKGROUND: Knowledge and understanding of CPD for midwives as synchronous online learning is limited. Studies of e-learning programs for CPD have underlined the need for interaction with others. The VIDM is a synchronous online 24-hour conference freely available for midwives designed to provide a unique CPD opportunity. METHOD: An online survey with a mix of fixed-response, multiple-response, and open-ended free-text questions was available to participants for 1 month after the conference via the wiki page in 2012 and 2013. FINDINGS: The survey was completed by 239 conference participants. Midwifery students and clinical midwives were the largest groups of attendees. The most common countries of residence were Australia, United Kingdom, and United States. Respondents believed that the conference contributed to their professional development by enabling professional growth, facilitating shared learning, and raising awareness of global issues. CONCLUSION: Offering synchronous events is important to facilitate deeper learning for those engaging in online activities. As an annual synchronous 24-hour, open online conference, the VIDM has become a valuable CPD opportunity for midwives.