Failing second year midwifery

Is this

(edited 1 month ago)

Is this fair? ...
Thrown out because a small essay was sent in the wrong format. Never told the student at the time to resubmit just fail. When the student did resubmit it was a fail. But it only got read once! All other students who fail get the opportunity to resit. This was a small essay . Rules need to change. No wonder this country is short of midwives.
2 x years hard study head down and very good grades. No absence. All hours and placements completed. This student is already showing signs of being an excellent midwife. How can she be just slung aside.
What does she do now? How can she become a midwife now? She has submitted appeal but been told it is very unlikely to go through.
Advice please ... this student will be a midwife one day but which route does she take now?

There is nothing such as a "small essay", they are all important parts of the degree and not there just for window dressing. The format and style (incl grammar and references) are of course part of the grading, as a degree needs to maintain rigour and these are something any student needs to achieve. Reading your piece it seems like your friend did get 2 chances and still failed. There has to be limits on retests, otherwise a degree is pointless.

Regardless of what I have said, i do think the current system of intellectualising vocational roles, be that midwifery or nursing is unhelpful, as it wrongly equates academia with being a good nurse or midwife. These are not the same at all and had led to a dilution of quality, with those who would make amazing nurses struggling to get onto very oversubscribed courses in favour of less able nursing candidates with stronger academic profiles.

I do wish your friend well. She needs to speak to the union and any reps at her university, and get some advice about her options and support around this appeal. It is not good enough to say she wasnt told and this argument is likely to lead to rejection immediately. She has to build a more solid case around procedural failures etc.

Greg

(edited 2 months ago)