Maternity Care Support Level 5 (Minor Award)

Course description

Why take this course?

Professional Maternity Care Support Course (QQI Level 5 Minor Award) – Interested in gaining the Maternity Care Support Award which is designed to equip you with the skills, knowledge and interpersonal skills required to assist the midwife in caring for mothers, babies, and the family unit.

A qualification offering the practical skills appropriate for work in a maternity care setting as a Care Assistant.  Enhance your career path with excellent opportunities for progression to further and higher education.

What will I study?

You will gain real-life knowledge, skills and competence required to support the midwife in a maternity facility.

You will enrich your learning experience in a diverse learning environment.   A friendly welcoming student-centered learning environment with a Professional Midwife who will support, mentor and guide you through the skills, knowledge and understanding of maternity care support.

You will experience demonstrations in specialist equipment, examples include hospital bed, baby cot, hospital trolley, drip and many other items of equipment.

Overview of Maternity Care

• Explain the Philosophy of Maternity Care
• Demonstrate an understanding of terminology used in the maternity care setting
• Recognise the family as the primary unit of care

Elements of Maternity Care

• Individualised care
• Consistent information
• Advice and choice
• Non-judgmental attitudes
• Physical and Emotional needs
• Effective communicaton with all Stakeholders
• Reflect and Improve personal effectiveness
• Breastfeeding, allowing for individual choice
• Special needs of  family unit when a baby is diagnosed with a congenital abnormality

Describe the grief process involved in the following situations:

• Miscarriage
• Stillbirth
• Neonatal Death
• Maternal Loss

Working in Maternity Care

• Demonstrate an understanding of terminology used in the maternity care setting
• Recognise the family as the primary unit of care
• Assist, under direction, mothers with personal hygiene and comfort

Assist the mother in the care of her baby with the following:

• Bathing
• Nappy Changing and Disposal
• Positioning and Handling
• Sleeping Positions
• Feed, under direction, a baby with formula feed
• Prepare a clinical area for care of the mother or baby
• Assist doctors and midwives during physical examinations of the mother and baby
• Demonstrate, under direction, the procedures for measuring, testing and recording
  urine
• Reporting Procedure
• Recognise an emergencies
• Basic first aid techniques (positioning and clearing of an airway)
• Safety and Security Procedures

Stores and Equipment

• Clean equipment such as beds, mattresses, cots and bed pans
• Clean and care for specialist equipment, to include incubators, resuscitative and
  theatre equipment
• Prepare, under direction, a trolley for procedures / Maintain stock levels of specialist
  stores and trolley equipment

This Maternity Support Level 5 Minor Award will equip the learner with the knowledge, skill and competence to assist the midwife in caring for mothers, babies and the family unit.
Learners will have the competence and confidence required to work effectively in maternity care units supporting the nursing team.

Assessment
The assessment process includes continuous  assessment processes such as assignments, collection of work, learner records, projects and skills  demonstration.

Assessment Format: Skills Demonstration 60% / Assignment 40%
Grading: Pass 50% – 64%  /  Merit 65% – 79%  /  Distinction 80% – 100%
Award: QQI Maternity Care Support Certificate (Minor Award) Level 5
Awarded by: (QQI) Quality and Qualifications Ireland
A Credit Value of 15 Applies to this Award.