Midwifery students' understanding and knowledge of normal birth before 'delivery' of curriculum.

OBJECTIVE: To generate new knowledge that describes and explains the views and understanding, regarding midwifery and normal birth, that newly enrolled midwifery students hold at the commencement of their midwifery education.

DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive approach was used in conjunction with an anonymous questionnaire.

SETTING: A tertiary University in Western Australia FINDINGS: Eighteen postgraduate midwifery students (PG), and twenty undergraduate midwifery students (UG), completed the questionnaire.Postgraduate midwifery students with a nursing background had a pronounced medical terminology and philosophy, as opposed to undergraduate midwifery students.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Midwifery educators will need to ensure the teaching of midwifery philosophy and normal birth at the commencement of midwifery courses, before historical perspectives and anatomy and physiology. Students need to be aware that birth is not reliant on risk management or student's personal values, otherwise it will be difficult for new midwifery students to understand birth as a normal, physiological process.