The Role Of A Student Midwife

Throughout pregnancy, women predominately receive their health care through the medium of a midwife (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, NICE, 2008) whose role it is to provide support and health education (Nursing & Midwifery Council, NMC, 2015; World Health Organisation, WHO, n.d.). The midwife will analyse the women’s health and lifestyle to ensure appropriate care and services are made available to them, whilst taking into account any cultural and diversity barriers (NMC, 2015). In this essay, the author, a student midwife, will reflect upon a single event in their clinical practice; focusing on a particular client who was unable to communicate in English. The author will also explore the impact this has on the disclosure

During the appointment, it became apparent to the student midwife that the client did not speak English, however, it was noted that the husband, who was also in attendance, was able to provide translation for her. The husband’s presence allowed the student to communicate with the client by proxy. Although this scenario facilitated the sharing of information, the student was aware that it would be inappropriate to discuss sensitive issues, such as, domestic abuse, with the husband present, thus resulting in the client receiving inadequate care and the failure of the student midwife in following the national guideline (NICE,

One of these feelings, nervousness, developed as a result of this being the first engagement the student had with a client who was unable to communicate in English. Despite this, the student was self-aware and prevented her emotions from protruding into the appointment, and maintained her professionalism. She did this through raising her awareness of her body language and the non-verbal signs that she was expressing, enhancing these aspects, as per Egan’s (2010) SOLER theory, compensating for the lack of verbal communication, resulting in a comprehensive building of rapport. Non-verbal communication is the primal, and most fundamental, aspect of communication, and is responsible for, approximately, 65% of interactions (Deane-Gray, 2014; Pease & Pease, 2006). The student used these techniques with the aim of encouraging the client to become more confident and trusting within this environment, thus increasing authenticity of the information