gms | German Medical Science

Background: Moving midwifery training to universities has also meant major changes to the examinations used. According to the Study and Examination Regulations for Midwives (HebStPrV), one of the tasks was to develop and implement new concepts for the state practical examinations for future midwives. The first cohort of midwifery students at the Health Campus Göttingen, a cooperation between the University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HAWK) and University Medical Center Göttingen, took their state practical exams under these regulations in August 2023.

Research question: The following main question emerged: How can simulation-based exams be designed to meet legal requirements, adequately represent all areas of competence and create practical conditions?

This presentation gives an example of how we planned, conducted and evaluated the practical exam.

Methods: The examinations were preceded by an intensive planning and preparation phase. This included the participation of practical instructors from the cooperating hospitals. 16 midwifery students were prepared for the exam content through previous modules. They were instructed in the use of the simulators and familiarised with the documents and materials used.

Pregnant women from the Göttingen area were recruited for the pregnancy part of the practical state exam. The delivery and postpartum parts were conducted with simulation patients. The use of simulators has been essential for realistic mapping. Two scenarios (latent phase and physiological birth) and a “circuit training”, in which different midwifery skills and activities were tested in parallel at different stations, were designed for the birth part of the practical state exam. Each examination was assessed by two independent examiners (one from university and one from practice).

Shortly after the examination week, evaluation forms were developed for practical instructors, simulation patients and students. The results can be used to plan future practical state exams. A working group has already been established to plan the 2024 practical state exam.

Results: The legally required competences could be tested with this format under conditions close to reality. Evaluation for students, practical instructors and simulation patients is underway. The results will lead to a comprehensive reflection.

Relevancy: The experiences and findings from the practical state exam at Health Campus Göttingen are relevant to other universities and should lead to beneficial supraregional exchange.

Recommendations: Especially for the first implementations of the new examination formats, we recommend an exchange between the university locations in order to learn from each other and to develop joint solutions for challenges. We recommend that the evaluation results of the participants be taken into account in future examination planning and that the examination preparations be carried out continuously throughout the year by setting up working groups in order to limit the workload in the immediate run-up to the exam. We believe that the total amount of work should be reflected in the hours allocated to teaching.

Ethics and conflicts of interest: A vote on ethics was not necessary. The research was financed by own resources. There are no conflicts of interest.