Abstract
Background
Significant factors affecting the Australian maternity care context include an ageing,
predominantly part-time midwifery workforce, increasingly medicalised maternity care,
and women with more complex health/social needs. This results in challenges for the
maternity care system. There is a lack of understanding of midwives’ experiences and
job satisfaction in this context.
Aim
To explore factors affecting Australian midwives’ job satisfaction and experience
of work.
Methods
In 2017 an online cross-sectional questionnaire was used to survey midwives employed
in a tertiary hospital. Data collected included characteristics, work roles, hours,
midwives’ views and experiences of their job. The Midwifery Process Questionnaire
was used to measure midwives’ satisfaction in four domains: Professional Satisfaction,
Professional Support, Client Interaction and Professional Development. Data were analysed
as a whole, then univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses conducted
to explore any associations between each domain, participant characteristics and other
relevant factors.
Findings
The overall survey response rate was 73% (302/411), with 96% (255/266) of permanently
employed midwives responding. About half (53%) had a negative attitude about their
Professional Support and Client Interaction (49%), and 21% felt negatively about Professional
Development. The majority felt positively regarding Professional Satisfaction (85%).
The main factors that impacted midwives’ satisfaction was inadequate acknowledgment
from the organisation and needing more support to fulfil their current role.
Conclusion
Focus on leadership and mentorship around appropriate acknowledgement and support
may impact positively on midwives’ satisfaction and experiences of work. A larger
study could explore how widespread these findings are in the Australian maternity
care setting.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 29, 2021
Accepted:
March 28,
2021
Received in revised form:
February 25,
2021
Received:
December 22,
2020
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
