Free online learning resources. Videos, animations, interactive learning resources

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These resources are online open access resources which may be useful for midwives or student midwives to support their learning.

Universal precautions
Handwashing

Donning sterile gloves

Sterile gloving

Vital signs
Learning resource from the British Hypertensive Association. How to take and record blood pressure. Including video and interactive animations. Highly recommended

Lecture from a nursing lecturer about blood pressure this is part one

Continuing form previous lecture, second part of blood pressure video

This is the third and final part the lecture videos on blood pressure

Obstetric guidelines from Australia and New Zealand about preeclampsia screening, detection and management. 

Nice clear video from Tafe South Australia outlining the process for taking blood pressure. It is a nursing video but the process is the same no matter what profession you are in. 

Abdominal palpation and Birth mechanism
Abdominal Palpation from the University of Nottingham

Normal mechanism of labour on video

Stations of presentation;

3D animation of birth, lateral and pelvic outlet view. Watch what happens to the coccyx

3D animation of birth showing cervical dilation and effacement

Make your own pelvic floor muscles model. This model is small scale, fitting in the model pelvis from the [Hesperian Foundation http://www.hesperian.org/]

Bioscience
This website describes placental structure, placental development and placental hormones;

Here you can learn about embryonic and fetal development, useful for health professionals as well as parents. If you register with the site you will get more information;

Fetal circulation

Interactive clinical pharmacology

Categories of acquired immunity Not really a video but in interactive animation website illustrating immunity, good fun.

Winking skull This is a great anatomy site.

Interactive Biology Lessons

Pharmacology and Prescribing for Midwives
In New Zealand midwives are autonomous practitioners. Midwives are able to prescribe for common conditions associated with pregnancy. Prescribing is a serious responsibility and requires specialised knowledge about how drugs work, particularly in pregnancy. The following resources will help you to acquire new knowledge, or further develop your understanding of these topics.

Pharmcaology crash course. Parts of this book are freely available online through Google books;

This is a free ebook about prescribing in pregnancy. It has a good chapter about teratogenicity. Discusses general prescribing in pregnancy, it is quite a large download;

This article explains how drugs work on the body in pregnancy;

Interactive clinical pharmacology, from Otago University medical school,is a series of interactive learning resources which will help you to understand the principles of pharmacology;

This is a series of videos from the University of California San Francisco, with basic information required for those who prescribe for infectious disease. Autonomous midwifery practice in New Zealand requires the midwife to have the ability to prescribe for common bacterial and fungal infections associated with midwifery practice. These videos are a useful starting point.

How Bacteria Cause disease;

How the body fights infection;

Antimicrobial Drugs;

This video explains the difference between Prokaryotic (Bacterial) and Eukaryotic (Human, animal, fungal) cell structure;

This is a good resource about Bacterial structure;

This free interactive animation from Blackwell Science will help to grow your understanding about prokaryotic cells;

This next free interactive animation explains how bacteria share genetic material. This mechanism aids bacteria in developing resistance to drugs, an area of concern for all health professionals;

With this learning resource you will learn about antimicrobial therapy. It has useful videos, interactive learning resources and quizes;

Bay Area Pain Medical Associates (BMPA)Pain pathway animations [] really good animations to help your understanding of pain pathways, also how different analgesics etc interrupt those pathways.

You can join a discussion about midwifery prescribing in relation to Nicotine Replacement Therapy and Chlamydia on Carolyn's Blog here;

Suturing
Difference between Surgical knot and granny knot;

Two handed square knot;

One handed surgical knot tying;

Three throw instrument tie;

Breast feeding
BFHI. Breast feeding promotion and support in a baby friendly hospital. 20 hour course for Maternity Staff

Guide to breast feeding part one; positioning at the breast

Guide to breast feeding part one; Part two of breast feedng

Dr Jack Newman's Breast feeding inc. Here there are educational resources with just about everything you need to know about breast feeding. 

New Zealand Ministry of Health educational resources for women and health care providers related to breast feeding. 

Urinary catheterisation
Catheterisation with woman

Injections
Medication 5 rights

Where to find out about drugs

Subcutaneous injection

Intramuscular injection

Intramuscular Z-track injection

Reconstituting a powder medication

Miscellaneous
Instruments in Obstetrics and Gynecology 

How is midwifery care structured in New Zealand? Link here to a blog post that explains this. There is a graph which illustrates this and an explanation of the graph as well as a sound file. The sound file is littly jumpy and slow in places. 

Quiz - True/False obstetrics and gynecology questions. Test your knowledge. Link to this is at the top right of the wiki page linked here

Cardio tocography (CTG) tutor

Numbers for Nurses. Resource for learning math skills essential for nursing or midwifery practice

Midirs Informed choice pamphlets

Kidney disease and hypertension in pregnancy. This is a free online book writtne by an expert in the field clearly explains the physiology, along with excellent graphics