UNS — Two students from the Faculty of Medicine (FK) at Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta achieved a notable victory by securing first place in the essay category at the 2024 Health Competition of Midwifery Generation (HCG). The event, organized by the Politeknik Kesehatan Surabaya, took place from October 3-5, 2024.
The winners, Yesika Cahya Septiana and Nanda Shevira, are fifth-semester students in the Bachelor’s Program in Midwifery at FK UNS. Their essay addressed the theme of anxiety in pregnant women, offering a unique approach to managing this issue.
“Our essay is titled JOURNEY: Non-Pharmacological Therapy to Reduce Anxiety During Pregnancy. We developed an innovation called JOURNEY, which stands for Journal Therapy to Reduce Antenatal Anxiety,” Yesika explained on Wednesday (9/10/2024).
The innovation centers around using a journal for expectant mothers to document their daily emotions and experiences. By expressing their feelings in writing, the technique—known as “expressive writing”—aims to alleviate anxiety in pregnant women.
Nanda Shevira added that their essay stood out due to its practical application. “Many competitors presented only ideas, while we emphasized the innovation itself, even creating a prototype. This, along with some initial testing on respondents, convinced the judges,” Nanda shared.
Despite their busy class schedules, the students found time to prepare for the competition. “Our preparation was flexible; we worked on it outside of class hours, dividing tasks as needed,” Nanda said. Yesika agreed, noting that teamwork and task delegation were essential.
Yesika confirmed this, emphasizing that as a team, task distribution is essential and must be managed effectively. In preparing for the competition, they received guidance from Noviyati Rahardjo Putri, S.SiT., M.Tr.Keb., a lecturer in the Midwifery Bachelor’s Program at FK UNS. “Yes, Ms. Novi (Noviyati Rahardjo Putri, S.SiT., M.Tr.Keb.) served as our mentor,” Yesika shared.
Their advice to students interested in essay competitions is to keep honing their skills by researching various references and exploring new potential without fear.
Humas UNS
Editor: Dwi Hastuti
