Practice:Role Plays

General Information and Instructions for Role Plays

There are two role plays that each student must contribute to in groups of three. Each student will be sent their role play character by email. In each role play there is a general aim for the group to consider when completing the role play. You will have 2 weeks to complete each role play. It is important that you start promptly at the beginning of the 2-week period as you will need to both develop your character and write your role play!

How to Start: Before you begin the role play you need to develop your characters - aim to spend no more than 3-4 days for this step. This will be done using http://blogger.com. Only one member needs to create a blogger account for their group. The instructions for obtaining a blog account can be found at

To create a closed class blog (one that only "invited" people see), go to Dashboard, Settings and choose Permissions. Click on the Add Authors button to invite the other members of your group (along with the class Lecturer) so that they can read and contribute to the blog. Note: This blog will be used for BOTH role plays as you will stay in the same group for both role plays.

Next step: Once you have developed your characters on the blog you can begin writing your role play - you should spend the most part on this step. This will be completed on a wiki called http://www.wikispaces.com/. You will need to Join in order to create an account. Watch the following YouTube videos: General Overview and Editing on Wikispaces. When writing your role play remember you will have a specific aim to meet. Be sure your role play meets this aim and has some closure!

Finally: Once you finish your role play you will need to reflect on this learning activity. This will be done in the Discussion Forum in Blackboard. A Forum will be set up for each of the two role plays. This will be an opportunity for you to reflect on the process - specifically on the learning that occurred as you developed the role play. All groups will complete this portion of the assessment together to further encourage collaborative learning.

Role Play 1 Shannon is a 32 year old (gravida 2, para 1) who is presently 11 weeks gestation. She is experiencing extreme nausea in the early morning and late afternoon and has recently begun to experience constipation. Her partner Bruce is a business man who frequently travels out of town during the week leaving her to mind their other child (Benjamin) who is 2. They have recently moved into a large urban area in the North Island from a smaller centre in the South Island (where their families reside). The family love to picnic at the beach. She has chosen a midwife (Megan) who has 15 years of midwifery practice both as an independent LMC and core midwife. They have had a phone conversation and have arranged a booking visit for next week.

''Aim: To discuss common conditions which occur in pregnancy and dietary strategies to alleviate these conditions. ''

Role Play 2 Diana is a 26 year old (gravida 2, para 0) who is 22 weeks gestation. She and her partner Dave live on a rural section outside of Nelson. They have an organic farm where they produce a selection of produce for themselves and as a way of generating some income. Diana is restrictive in what she consumes – she and Dave both follow a vegetarian diet and do not consume dairy products. Diana has recently been advised by a family member that it is important to eliminate common food allergens from your diet when pregnant to reduce the chance of your baby developing food allergies. Her midwife Rosalind is a relatively ‘new’ midwife having been in practice only 2 years.

Aim: To discuss the issues of dietary restrictions during pregnancy.