Learning and the capacity to care

As time moves on, there is a tendency to look back, with perhaps mixed emotions, on days past. These moments can bring unexpected insights that help us to value what we have and what we have become.

These thoughts crowd my mind after a demanding but enjoyable weekend teaching an enthusiastic group of midwives and doctors as part of an Advance Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO-UK) course, a programme designed to develop health professionals' knowledge and skills to manage the emergencies that may arise in maternity care (American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), 2017).

The two-day course is packed with challenges, but is a great opportunity for delegates to reflect on their knowledge and skills, and gauge potential for dealing with life-threating complications.

While ALSO attempts to reflect the complexity, risks and realities tof obstetric emergencies; simulation is perhaps a poor replication of the dynamics and dangers that real life situations may provide. It does, however, provide an environment in which candidates can safely explore such events and develop their awareness as to what is expected of them.