This paper is only available as a PDF. To read, Please Download here.
Introduction and Aim
Research investigating graduate midwives' transition to practice has identified it
as stressful, with a crucial contributor to that stress being the difficulty newly
qualified practitioners have with applying their woman-centred midwifery philosophy
in contexts where the biomedical model of maternity care is dominant (Cummins et al.,
2017). The potential consequence of being unable to practice in accordance with one's
beliefs and values is that practitioners become disheartened, potentially traumatised,
and choose to leave the profession. This has significant implications for midwifery
education, the midwifery workforce, and the outcomes of those who are cared for in
maternity services.
The purpose of this study is to investigate and understand how midwifery practice
environments influence newly qualified midwives’ practice philosophy, whether their
intention to remain in the profession changes, and how prepared for practice they
feel from their pre-registration training.
Methods
In this longitudinal mixed methods study, graduating midwifery students will be invited
to complete a survey every six months for five years, or until they decide to leave
the profession within the five-year period. Participants will also be invited to annual
focus groups at which the findings from the previous year will be presented to them
for their review and comment.
Results
Early insights into graduating students' midwifery philosophies, their views about
their preparedness for practice, and aims for their graduate year will be presented.
Conclusion
This study highlights the impact of the practice environment on graduate midwives'
practice philosophy and by extension, provides valuable insights for midwifery education
providers and maternity care facilities. The data suggests that if we are to have
a sustainable, committed midwifery workforce, we need to find ways to support new
midwives to practice in accordance with their values.
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Women and BirthAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
Article info
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Published by Elsevier Inc.
