13.3 Ensuring a Positive Clinical Learning Environment

The importance of environment and the support of the clinical team is well known for assisting students, and qualified staff to develop a learning culture, thus improving the information, support and care to women, babies and families in their journey through pregnancy through to motherhood and early parenting. In this hour, we will explore the ICM Global Midwifery education standards, and share knowledge and experience of how the clinical environment can be influenced and improved towards this aim. Hosted by: Sue Macdonald, Midwifery Expert; Host and Curator, Maternity and Midwifery Festivals/Midwifery Hour, Editor, Mayes Midwifery Contribution from: Dr Maeve O Connell, Assistant Professor Midwifery, Fatima College of Health Sciences, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Laura Moya Falcon, Clinical Midwife Specialist, Hamad Medical Corporation Biography Dr Maeve O'Connell Assistant Professor Midwifery, Fatima College of Health Sciences, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Maeve O’Connell is Registered Midwife and Nurse with a PhD on fear of childbirth. Maeve has a wide range of clinical experience from London and Ireland. Her interests are care of high risk women and intrapartum care. She is a Fellow of the Faculty of Nursing in Midwifery at RCSI which was awarded in recognition of her exceptional commitment, dedication and contribution in Midwifery. Laura Moya Falcon Clinical Midwife Specialist, Hamad Medical Corporation Laura has 23 years of experience as a midwife. She studied in Middlesex university and worked in London for 6 years. From the begging of her career she was passionate about Birth Centers, waterbirth community Midwifery and breastfeeding. Back in Spain, she was the founder and director of Blossom Maternal Centre, a pioneer of its kind in providing holistic care, including homebirth. She has also worked as an Associate Midwifery Lecturer and the Breastfeeding Master Program at the University of Las Palmas. At the same time, Laura was a co-organizer and speaker at multiple national and internationals conferences and workshops for health professional, midwives and families. Throughout her career, she had been actively involved in TV, radio, newspapers and health magazines to promote midwifery model of care, physiological birth and empowering women. She is currently working as a clinical midwife specialist in Qatar creating and supporting Midwifery Led Services and most recently leading the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative Project. She collaborates with the Perinatal Mental Health Team, educational team, programs and policies development and quality improvement initiatives. Laura has also created an innovative simulation-based teaching program for Breastfeeding skills competencies. With her recent finalized research COVID 19 Mothers infant feeding practices, mother baby bonding and postnatal care experiences in Qatar the brings the attention to the importance of the perinatal period for maternal and baby mental health.