Midwifery models: students' conceptualization of a midwifery philosophy in clay.

Formulating a professional and personal philosophy statement assists nurses and midwives in clarifying focus and direction. It also facilitates grounding of the nursing and midwifery professions or professionals by enabling the identification of both shared beliefs and unique elements. The purpose of this activity was to assist beginning student nurse-midwives (SNMs) in exploring the intersection of their own and the profession's philosophy. Through the creation of a clay representation of their philosophical model, eight SNMs expressed their midwifery philosophies at the beginning of their clinical sequence by sculpting them in clay and then described their sculptures and how they exemplified their philosophies.