Involving supervisors of midwives in student education

As the complexities and challenges of practice and expectations of the midwifery role requirements increase then so will the support that midwives require from supervisors of midwives as part of their professional relationship. It is well documented in the literature that the role of mentor can bring with it a particular series of challenges, one of the most difficult of these being when a midwife is faced with the situation of having to fail a student in practice. The Nursing and Midwifery Council clearly states that robust processes should be in place to ensure that where there are issues of concern with regard to a student's practice, these should be dealt with swiftly. Early and continued involvement of supervisors of midwives can make a significant contribution to these processes and the form these contributions can take merits further discussion. It is suggested that positive role modelling of supervisors of midwives will benefit students by helping them develop a positive concept of accountability. As leaders of the profession it is argued that supervisors of midwives must create opportunities to engage strategically in the development and delivery of midwifery education.