Global

Recognising and escalating obstetric emergencies and newborn deterioration: Perinatal competency for nurses

A ready-made course you customise for your organisation, with a live session deck and two surveys. You only add the 13 details that are specific to your organisation.

See the live deckSee the full outline
Try the coursePreview the survey
Length
40 min
Lessons
6 lessons
Frequency
At induction to a perinatal area
Last reviewed
21 Oct 2026
Grey areas in perinatal care
What would you do?

A pad count is borderline and a colleague says it is normal for this stage

Try it: this is one of 19 interactive activities in the course.

What's included

Three pieces that work together

Copy once, get everything. Learners prepare on their own, you answer questions live, and the surveys tell you what stuck.

Self-paced course

Short lessons with real workplace scenarios, not walls of text.

  • 6 lessons, about 40 minutes
  • Sorting activity, scenario, process, accordion and quizzes

Live session deck

An AhaSlides presentation to run after the course, in person or online.

  • 10 slides
  • Quiz, word cloud, poll, scale slides
  • A closing slide for your contacts

Two surveys

Find out what landed, and whether people use it on the job.

  • Post-course feedback, about 2 minutes
  • 30-day check-in
  • Anonymous by default
  • Results feed your next refresher

Learning objectives

At the end of this course, learners can

Each objective and the lesson that covers it.

IDObjectiveSourceWhere it's covered
TO 309.0Achieve ≥ 80% on the final assessmentNoneWhole course
SO 309.1Recognise the warning signs of a woman or baby who is deteriorating and say which are urgentExamples: NICE guideline NG235 (Intrapartum care); NICE guideline NG194 (Postnatal care); best practiceWhole course
SO 309.2Take the first safe actions in a suspected haemorrhage, hypertensive emergency or shoulder dystocia, and call for help early under local policy + your infoExamples: NMC Standards of proficiency for midwives; AWHONN Standards; best practiceWhole course
SO 309.3Monitor a woman receiving an oxytocic infusion and know when to stop and tell the responsible clinician under local policy + your infoExamples: NICE guideline NG235; best practiceWhole course
SO 309.4Observe a newborn in the first hours, including temperature, breathing, colour and feeding, and escalate concernsExamples: Resuscitation Council UK Newborn Life Support guidelines; Neonatal Resuscitation Program; best practiceWhole course
SO 309.5Hand over a perinatal concern clearly and document what you saw, did and who you toldExamples: The Code (NMC); best practiceWhole course

Your part: what a template can't do for you

  • Your workplace details: fill in the 13 highlighted fields so the course describes your own policies, contacts and locations.
  • Records: record completion in your own LMS or record system.

Course outline

6 lessons, about 40 minutes

Minutes per lesson are an estimate, shared out by page count.

ContentInteractiveVideoYou customise
1

Why early recognition matters in perinatal care

3 pages

7 min
Before you beginNoteList
A quiet night on the postnatal wardTextImageChecklistYour info
Two patients, one nurseKey factFlashcardsQuiz
2

Warning signs and what they mean

3 pages

7 min
Warning signs in the womanTabsNote
Sort the findingSorting activity
Match the signMatching quiz
3

A response routine for emergencies

3 pages

7 min
Six stepsProcessYour info
Put it in orderSorting activityText
Oxytocic infusion safetyAccordionYour infoQuiz
4

Grey areas in perinatal care

3 pages

7 min
ScenarioScenario
ScenarioScenarioYour infoQuiz
Match and triageMatching quizSorting activity
5

Speak up and hand over

3 pages

7 min
Who to tellProcessYour infoYour infoYour infoYour infoNote
Handing over and documentingAccordion
ScenarioScenarioQuizButtonYour info
6

Final assessment

2 pages

5 min
PracticeQuiz
CompletionKey factListNoteButtonYour info

Live deck and surveys

10 slides to run live, two surveys to close the loop

Pink slides are interactive. Both surveys are anonymous; pink questions are written for this course.

ContentTitle, agenda, "two patients, one nurse: call early" (speaker notes: template page URL)
Word cloudOne word for how you feel when a perinatal emergency starts
PollWhich is hardest to spot early? (Bleeding · Raised pressure · Fetal heart concerns · Newborn deterioration)
ContentThe six-step response routine and the warning-sign tabs in brief
QuizA woman is pale and restless and has needed several pads. You…" (Stay, call for help ✔ · Wait for the next round · Reassure and leave · Update the chart only)
QuizA newborn is cold and slow to feed. First you…" (Check warmth, breathing, colour and escalate ✔ · Top up and leave · Assume tiredness · Wait for the next feed)
Content · customiseCustomise: our chart, escalation route and oxytocic policy" with {{MATERNITY_EARLY_WARNING_CHART}}, {{ESCALATION_ROUTE}}, {{LOCAL_OXYTOCIN_POLICY}}
ScaleHow confident are you calling for help early in a perinatal emergency?" 1 to 5
Open-ended / Q&AA perinatal situation I would like to talk through
Content · customiseClosing {{CLINICAL_EDUCATION_CONTACT}}, {{SURVEY_2_URL}}, {{COURSE_URL}}
Post-course feedback: 11 questions, about 2 min
  1. Overall rating 5 stars
  2. Relevant, realistic, right length, helpful activities agree/disagree grid
  3. What was most useful? multi-select
  4. Confidence before this course, and now 1-5 scale
  5. How confident are you calling for help early? 1-5 scale
  6. Which change have you tried? multiple choice
  7. What barrier have you met in trying it? short text
  8. I can raise a concern about a woman or baby without fear of blame. 1-5 scale
  9. One thing we should change or add open text
  10. Would you recommend this course? NPS
30-day check-in
  1. Have you used what you learned since the course? multiple choice
  2. How confident are you today? Compare with day 1 1-5 scale
  3. Do you know where to find the local maternity escalation policy? yes / no / not sure
  4. A moment where the training helped, or where you weren't sure open text
  5. Which topics should the next refresher focus on? ranking

Results show whether people use the training on the job, not just whether they finished it.

Make it yours

13 fields to fill in, and you're ready

Everything else is done. These are the details only your organisation knows; each one is highlighted inside the course.

  • Clinical education contact{{CLINICAL_EDUCATION_CONTACT}}
  • Local policy link{{LOCAL_POLICY_LINK}}
  • Incident reporting route{{INCIDENT_REPORTING_ROUTE}}
  • Escalation route{{ESCALATION_ROUTE}}
  • Regulator and standards{{REGULATOR_AND_STANDARDS}}
  • LMS or record system{{LMS_OR_RECORD_SYSTEM}}
Show all 13 fields
  • Maternity early warning chart{{MATERNITY_EARLY_WARNING_CHART}}
  • Local oxytocin policy{{LOCAL_OXYTOCIN_POLICY}}
  • Perinatal educator contact{{PERINATAL_EDUCATOR_CONTACT}}
  • Survey 1 URL{{SURVEY_1_URL}}
  • Survey 2 URL{{SURVEY_2_URL}}
  • Course URL{{COURSE_URL}}
  • Live session URL{{LIVE_SESSION_URL}}

FAQ

Common questions

Can I run recognising and escalating obstetric emergencies and newborn deterioration: Perinatal competency for nurses training online?

Yes. The course is self-paced and online, and the live deck lets you add a live session in the room or online.

How often is this training needed?

At induction to a perinatal area, when a nurse rotates in, and annually with the unit skills day.

Who needs this training?

Registered nurses and midwives on labour, postnatal and neonatal units, preceptors, and nurses new to perinatal care; run by the perinatal nurse educator or clinical education lead.

What records should I keep?

Record completion in your own LMS or record system, so you can show who finished the course and when.

Can I edit the content?

Yes, everything. Change the wording, swap scenarios for ones from your workplace, add your logo, or remove parts that don't apply.

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Last reviewed: 21 October 2026Templates are a starting point, not legal advice.

Ready to run it?

Open the live deck to see how the session runs alongside the course and both surveys.

See the live deck