PURPOSE:
As part of the ‘School classes visit midwives’ project in the final semester of the Bachelor’s Degree Program in Midwifery at the ZHAW in Switzerland, students have the opportunity to introduce young people to the work of midwives. Midwives are in high demand as teachers of pregnancy, birth and the puerperium in primary schools. By getting to know midwives and their work, children aged around 12 can learn from an early age that pregnancy, birth and the puerperium are primarily healthy and natural processes. Sixth-semester midwifery students can share their knowledge with young people in an age-appropriate way and contribute to general healthcare and prevention.

DISCUSSION:
In this project, students are given the opportunity to present obstetrics as a natural process to a future target group. They plan teaching units and evaluate them after implementation. The project highlights the challenge of providing age-appropriate access to healthcare topics, which requires a great deal of specialized knowledge. Young people often gain their first insights into obstetric topics and approach them with an open mind. The lessons take place at ZHAW, providing the students with their first experience of university life.

EVIDENCE WHERE RELEVANT:
The teaching units are designed using the principles of skills-based and age-appropriate teaching, such as the storyline method, mini-simulations and exploratory learning.

KEY MESSAGE:
Both students and young people benefit from the 'School classes visit midwives' teaching unit. The students gain experience in sharing their knowledge as future healthcare providers. Meanwhile, the young people gain initial access to the midwifery profession and learn about the natural process of childbirth. This lays the foundations for accessing midwifery care in adulthood. Poster session 3 (Group B)