<p>Accommodation was arranged before departure I had to book online. This was a good arrangement as it gave me confidence thatI would not be stranded whenI reached Stockholm as regards to accommodation. And everything was well stipulated as to how to get into the building and where to get keys to the flat. The accommodation was good and comfortable. however, I wished the flat had 2 well separated bedrooms for privacy.</p>
<p>The teacher exchange program is very helpful and educative. I learned how midwives interact with the family during the maternity cycle. I could see that husband is fully involved at all times be it in antenatal, labour and puerperium. This is unlike in Malawi where male involvement is quite low. Through the exchange I have learned how delivery is done in other birthing positions previously i only saw in pictures. The expertise of midwives was awesome, they are able to do ultrasound.</p>
<p>During my stay at KI, I had visited hospital where maternity care is offered. Many days were allocated to the Sodersjukhuset South General hospital and I was privileged to visit the labour and delivery room and observed a normal delivery and a cesarean section, had a visit to the postnatal ward, antenatal clinic and the operating theater. I also participated in a symposium that was conducted in honor of a retiring member of staff at KI.</p>
<p>I was informed by my previous head of department who was originally supposed to go on this visit but had been enrolled in a PhD programme in South Africa. She told me to replace her and go for the teacher exchange. There was no preparation for language and I did not know any useful links. The only preparation was on travel documents and the presentation that was to be given to students at KI.</p>
<p>Personally, this teacher exchange has influenced the way I look at the midwifery as a profession. I have the impression that midwives are highly regarded and are very crucial to the health care system, therefore midwifery education has to be done in line with national and international standards. As a teacher, I feel confident of my practice as a midwife and lecturer because the teaching of midwifery at KI is similar to that of KCN but KCN is disadvantaged because of lack of resources both at the institution and at the teaching hospital. I think I will emphasize more on male involvement and interaction between midwife and client. It was good to realize that in certain aspects Malawian midwives are doing better that Swedish midwives, like counseling on breast feeding. The change i would like to bring is the recognition of clinical instructors who help with the teaching of students in the hospitals.</p>
<p>The teaching of midwifery at KI is done by well qualified midwives and students go through classroom as well as clinical teaching, this is similar to KCN however at KI lecturers do not participate in clinical teaching they have specific midwives in different units who teach students during their clinical practice. During my stay at KII did not have an opportunity to observe teaching in class butI observed that the class is comprised of a small number of students of which i admired so much, compared to the very large number of students at KCN. I feel the small number is ideal for midwifery education. At KI students are in class for a period of time for theory then they go for clinical practice this is similar to KCN.During the teacher exchange period I gave a presentation and students participated actively and they were very attentive. Being a small class it was easy to manage and to interact with students. This is a challenge at KCN since the number of students is very large sometimes classroom management is a challenge and interaction with all students is difficult. Students interact very well with their lecturers and they also participate in seminars.I was very encouraged by the flexibility of the classes where a mother could bring her child in class while she is attending a lecture. I felt that is a good idea.</p>