focus
The value of mutual support and reflection in confronting the impacts of the bushfires By Tameeka Mulquiney
At the end of December 2019, my role as a lecturer in midwifery took an unexpected turn. I was receiving numerous emails from students studying a Graduate Diploma in Midwifery requesting extensions and support due to the bushfires which were raging in New South Wales. The fires had impacted students as they had lost access to power supply, water supply, experiencing forced evacuations and felt compelled to fulfil their roles as volunteer firefighters. The situation the students were facing was clearly illustrated on the news and reinforced through emails and phone calls from students. It became clear very quickly how devastating this situation was for the students and for Australia. In my role as a midwifery lecturer, I frequently talk to the clinical educators at the hospitals, and this heightened my insight into the challenges these students were facing clinically, academically and most importantly personally. Every academic support possible was provided to these students acknowledging their ever evolving and dangerous situations with the main focus for students to stay safe during this time. The bushfires crisis continued to worsen, and the fires were now impacting my family and me in my Victorian rural hometown. Evacuation was not an option as it was unsafe to do so, and I found myself in the position many of the students had faced. A phone call from a student just a week before saying she had to be evacuated as her family had no power or water, quickly crossed my mind. I knew that my family and I were confronting the same dangerous situation. In retrospect, throughout this daunting time, the challenges of teaching midwifery had been tested. Staff stepped in to take over my lecturing role and provided students with the support they needed.
Clinical educators involved in workplace learning provided the individual, clinical support for the students. The relationships between the university, the hospitals and the student midwives proved invaluable in ensuring learning continued and obtaining positive outcomes were achieved for all stakeholders. One month after the fires, a compulsory residential school was scheduled. Not only was it beneficial to see the students again, but it also provided the opportunity for an informal debrief to reflect on the challenging times many of us faced in the holiday period of 2019. After the residential school, it was not uncommon for emails to be received to “check-in” on how students and university and clinical staff were coping post bushfires. Reflection is a major part of education for midwives and usually relates to the clinical components of their studies, however students and staff all naturally engaged in reflection to support each other through the personal and professional impacts of this challenging and potentially life-threatening period. The reflection involved the lived experiences we all shared, and provided the opportunity to synthesise self-awareness and critical thinking (Fenech 2016) on a personal as well as professional level; a unique experience for us all. Six months on, and the students have powered ahead despite the impacts of the bushfires. The challenges we faced were confronting from both personal and
professional levels, however the education these students were provided within this time was invaluable. Students working in clinical settings gained some valuable knowledge in prioritising care, transferring women and babies, and how to work in a crisis; critical skills that these students will use throughout their careers as midwives. Adapting to situations outside of the norm did occur but were managed through the support from students, university staff and clinical educators, and the positive relationships we had between all proved invaluable. Many of these students have now graduated and will never forget the bushfires of 2019/2020, and neither will I. Author Tameeka Mulquiney is Lecturer in Nursing & Midwifery at Charles Sturt University, RN/RM at Corryong Health & Albury Wodonga Health Services
Reference Fenech, G. 2016. Critical reflection in midwifery practice: the protection motivation theory. Reflective Practice, International and Multidisciplinary Perspectives. 17(3): 308-316.
Jan–Mar 2021 Volume 27, No. 2 45