Scottish Routine Examination of the Newborn Course

Background

The Scottish Routine Examination of the Newborn Course has been developed as part of the Scottish Multiprofessional Maternity Development Programme - an evolving programme of courses designed to meet the needs of healthcare professionals involved in the delivery of maternity care. The purpose is to provide a standardised training course for all healthcare professionals in the routine examination of the newborn. The course is developed from the Best Practice Statement produced by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (2008) available from Health Improvement Scotland

The course consists of 3 parts.

Part I Pre-course handbook, examination of the newborn Best Practice Statement and a formative multiple choice question (MCQ) examination.

Part II Three-day taught course that is assessed summatively by MCQ examination. This must be completed successfully before progressing to the final part of the course.

Part III Clinical component: candidates undertake supervised practice in the routine examination of the newborn. Candidates will normally be expected to complete this part of the course within 6 months of completion of Part II.

The taught part of the course is composed of lectures, skill stations, workshops and discussions.

Even though the course includes both a theoretical test of knowledge and assessment of examination skills, it does not guarantee ongoing competence in the routine examination of the newborn. This can only be assessed by senior staff in the clinical environments in which candidates work.

This course is suitable for any maternity care professional who is involved with the care of women and their babies at and following delivery.

Course Descriptor

Course Title	Scottish Routine Examination of the Newborn Course
Course Aim	The aim of the course is to provide candidates with the opportunity to acquire the skills and knowledge to undertake the routine examination of the newborn.
Course Learning Outcomes	Candidates will be able to: · Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the newborn. Demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of potential deviations from normal found in the newborn. · Demonstrate that they meet the best practice statement criteria in undertaking the routine examination of the newborn, including referral pathways.
Indicative Content	Maternal, family and perinatal histories and their relevance to the routine examination of the newborn. Risk assessment and decision making System by system review of normal anatomy and physiology and potential deviation Unexpected findings and referral pathways Communication skills
Teaching and Learning Strategies	Course handbook – guided study Lectures Skill stations Workshops Discussion groups
Assessment Strategy	Formative MCQ, summative MCQ examination and simulated clinical assessment during taught element of the course. Clinical assessments completed at least three times within 6 months following the successful completion of Part II of the course
Nominal Study Hours	Part I - 30-50 hours depending on previous experience Part II - 21 hours Part III -Individual supervised clinical practice of up to 6 months
Minimum number of Candidates	8
Maximum number of Candidates	20
Minimum number of Instructors to Participants		1 instructor to 4 candidates (skill stations and workstations) . To comply with the SMMDP quality measures there must be one external trainer included in the faculty each day.
Number of Instructor Candidates on a Course		Not more than 50%
Indicate who is Likely to Benefit from the Course		Admission to the course is open to any registered maternity care professionals who has a regular opportunity to achieve and maintain competence in the routine examination of the newborn. Each candidate must have an identified Clinical Supervisor and arrangements in place for Clinical Supervised Practice before starting on the course.
Equipment / Resources Required for Course		A sample equipment list is available for viewing