A survey of midwifery graduates' opinions about midwifery education in Iran: a cross-sectional study

Status and influencing factors of undergraduate midwifery students' core competencies: A cross sectional study

INTRODUCTION

Midwifery undergraduate students' core competencies directly affect the quality of midwifery services and overall quality of midwifery teams. However, limited research has explored the core competencies of undergraduate midwifery students in China.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to describe the level of core competencies among undergraduate midwifery students in China and investigated possible associated factors.

DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional descriptive study.

SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS

The study population comprised third- and fourth-year undergraduate midwifery students at Zunyi Medical University in Guizhou Province in southwest China (n = 207, response rate 94.1 %).

METHODS

Data were collected using an online survey that included a general information questionnaire, a general self-efficacy scale, and a core competencies self-assessment questionnaire for midwifery undergraduates. Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 18.0. Pearson's correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between self-efficacy and the core competencies. Stepwise multiple linear regression was used to explore influencing factors.

RESULTS

The total score for the core competencies among midwifery undergraduates was 118.46 (8.97). The highest mean score was for professional attitude, 4.21 (0.43), and the lowest was for professional skills, 3.70 (0.30). We found a positive association between self-efficacy and core competencies (r = 0.251, P < 0.01). Grade (β = 0.261, P < 0.01), scholarship (β = -0.231, P < 0.01), work intention (β = -0.135, P < 0.05), and self-efficacy (β = 0.207, P < 0.01) significantly influenced undergraduate midwifery students' core competencies (R2 = 0.189, adjusted R2 = 0.173, F = 11.775, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Undergraduate midwifery students showed moderate core competencies, indicating room for improvement. Fourth-grade midwifery students had higher core competencies than third-grade students. Additionally, scholarship, work intention, and self-efficacy were significant influencing factors. Midwifery educators should examine students' core competencies and explore targeted interventions, particularly for those with low self-efficacy and core competencies.

The impact of human cadaveric dissection on professional identity formation in medical students

BACKGROUND

As technology advances, some schools are moving away from human cadaveric dissection to teach anatomy, leading to concern regarding the possible loss of a professional identity building experience. This study explored the role of dissection in students' professional identity formation.

METHODS

A mixed-methods study was conducted using survey methodology and semi-structured interviews of medical students at an American-style graduate-entry medical school in Singapore. The questionnaire adopted the conceptual framework of the Ring Theory of Personhood and the MacLeod-Clark Professional Identity Scale was used to measure professional identity, followed by semi-structured interviews of students using Braun and Clarke's six-phase reflexive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Respondents did not differ substantively from non-respondents by age, nationality, or ethnicity, and year of entering medical school, however, they were slightly more female dominant. The number of hours of hands-on participation in dissection showed no significant relationship (r2 = 0.010; p = 0.424) with professional identity formation measured by the MacLeod-Clark Professional Identity Scale. Despite the survey results, semi-structured interviews revealed rich and nuanced findings suggesting the influence of dissection in participants' professional identity formation through deepening students' appreciation of humanistic values and enhancing their notions of patients' personhood. Notably, students without dissection experience did not express these sentiments and were orientated towards knowledge acquisition.

CONCLUSION

While our findings do not suggest that dissection strongly impacts students' professional identity formation, students shared thought-provoking experiences which suggest some level of its contribution. Careful consideration of this phenomenon should be exercised prior to removing dissection in favour of technological alternatives.

The state of clinical education and factors affecting effective clinical education: the point of view of nursing and midwifery students

BACKGROUND

Clinical education is the basis of education in medical sciences. Clinical education, as the essence of education in nursing and midwifery, promotes social health, improves health care, and reduces mortality. Considering the position of nursing and midwifery, investigating the views of students in this field can be an effective step in improving clinical education. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the status of clinical education and the factors affecting effective clinical education from the point of view of nursing and midwifery students.

METHODS

A descriptive-analytical study was conducted among nursing and midwifery students at Qazvin University of Medical Sciences in 2022-2023. Using available sampling, 242 students were included in the study. Students were included in the study if they completed at least one unit of in-person internship. Refusing to continue the study for any reason and having a practical nurse certificate were the criteria for exclusion from the study. The data collection tools included a demographic information questionnaire, a questionnaire to assess the status of clinical education, and a questionnaire on factors affecting effective clinical education. The data were analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics and SPSS 20 software.

RESULTS

The mean age of the participants in this study was 21.66 ± 2.25. A total of 180 (74.4%) of the participants were women, and the rest were men. The results showed that the general condition of clinical education is at an average level (103.16 ± 19.21). It was also found that the clinical education status of midwifery students was better than that of nursing students, and this difference was significant (p = 0.003). Among the fields of clinical education, the highest score belonging to the field of objectives and planning was reported on the average level (34.39 ± 6.66). Among the factors affecting effective clinical education, the highest score was given to the field of personal characteristics of the student (33.97 ± 5.99). The results showed that there is a significant relationship between the grades of the general state of clinical education with the academic semester (p = 0.001) and interest in the field of study (p < 0.040).

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the findings of the present study, clinical education is at an average level. Among the factors affecting effective clinical training, the field of personal characteristics of the student is more effective in clinical training. Providing educational facilities according to the number of students, using modern teaching methods, and determining and communicating the duties of professors and students can help to improve clinical education.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Research Articles on Midwifery Based on the Web of Science

Objective

This study aimed to bibliometrically analyse the main features of the 100 top-cited articles on the midwifery index on the Web of Science.

Methods

Academic articles on midwifery' research published from 1985 to 2020 were included. VOSviewer 1.6.15, SPSS 22.0 software and a homemade applet were used to identify, analyse and visualise the citation ranking, publication year, journal, country and organisation of origin, authorship, journal impact factor and keywords along with the total link strength of countries, organisations and keywords.

Results

Among the 100 top-cited articles, the highest number of citations of the retrieved articles was 484. The median number of citations per year was 5.16 (interquartile range: 3.74-8.38). Almost two-thirds of the included articles (n = 61) centred on nursing and obstetrics/gynaecology. The top-cited articles were published in 38 different journals, the highest number of which was published by Midwifery (15%). Australia was the most productive country (24%). According to the total link strength, the sequence ran from the United States (28) to England (28) to Australia (19). The University of Technology Sydney and La Trobe University in Australia topped the list with four papers each. Hunter B was the most productive author (n = 4), and the average citations were positively related to the number of authors (r = 0.336, p < 0.05).

Conclusion

This study identified the most influential articles on midwifery and documented the core journals and the most productive countries, organisations and authors along with future research hotspots for this field; the findings may be beneficial to researchers in their publication and scientific cooperation endeavours.

Evaluation of labour and birth education by midwifery educators: A qualitative study from Turkey

BACKGROUND

Midwifery students' education regarding labor and birth is crucial because it directly affects the quality of care provided to women in labor.

AIMS

Exploring educators' experiences of delivering labor and birth education to midwifery students and evaluating the circumstances that affect the quality of labor and birth education METHODS: This was a qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 educators teaching midwifery in 16 midwifery departments at universities in Turkey. Inductive thematic analysis was conducted. All transcripts were evaluated by two researchers, and codes were created. The codes formed the subthemes in terms of similarities and differences; themes were created based on combining subthemes.

FINDINGS

Three themes were identified. The first - "impacts of global changes on labor and birth education"- shows how labor and birth is affected by changing policies, philosophies, individuals, and cultures. The second theme - "opportunities/obstacles in labor and birth education"- shows how sources of information, as well as individual and systemic factors, create opportunities or obstacles for the quality of labor and birth education. The final theme - "recommendations for quality labor and birth education"- presents participants' suggestions for the effective integration of courses, use of sources of information, and updating of curriculum.

DISCUSSION

Changing policies, philosophies, individuals, and cultures affect labor and birth education. Individual and systemic factors and information sources create opportunities or barriers for the quality of labor and birth education.

CONCLUSION

A positive childbirth experience is a basic human right for both women and newborns. This can be made possible by professionals who have received quality labor and birth education. Thus, investment in midwifery education is an important cost-effective approach to improving health outcomes.

Effective Teaching Behaviors of Clinical Nursing Teachers: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis

Objectives

To identify, appraise, and synthesize the available evidence exploring the effective teaching behaviors of clinical nursing teachers.

Design

The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines were followed, and a meta-synthesis was conducted.

Review Methods

Following databases were searched for relevant qualitative studies published in English and reporting primary data analysis, including experiences and perceptions of nursing students: PubMed, EBSCOhost, OVID, etc. Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument were used to pool the qualitative research findings. Through the repeated reading of the original literature, the similar findings were combined and sorted into new categories, and then summarized into different synthesized themes.

Results

A total of nine articles were included. The review process produced 29 subcategories that were aggregated into seven categories. The categories generated three synthesized findings: good teaching literacy, solid professional competence, and harmonious faculty-student relationship.

Conclusions

The effective teaching behaviors of clinical nursing teachers are the driving force for the progress and growth of nursing students. In order to improve the effectiveness of clinical nursing teaching, nursing teachers should be fully aware of effective teaching behaviors for nursing students to master nursing theories and skills.

Factors Influencing Midwifery Students’ Decision to Choose the Midwifery Education Program in Albania

Background: Midwives, as an essential part of the healthcare professionals, make a necessary contribution to the healthcare system. They are in demand in developed countries and developing countries like Albania. Aim: This study was carried out to identify the main factors that influence the students’ decisions about choosing midwifery as their career. Methods: A quantitative descriptive research design was used to identify the motivating reasons for attending midwifery. This quantitative explorative study was born at the University of Shkodra, Albania, with the midwifery students in February – March 2022. One hundred seventeen voluntary students were included in the study. The data were collected online via a questionnaire prepared from the authors and analyzed with the SPSS software, using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) test. Results: It was found that five main domain factors influence students on choosing midwifery as a future career. “Extrinsic rewards of midwifery” and “Employment security over midwifery life” were considered more critical domains. The dominant issues included were about: security, economic welfare, career opportunities, transferring to nursing studies, and more possibilities to work as a midwife in other countries. Conclusions: The findings of this study provided valuable information regarding motivating factors that attract the new generation to join midwifery in Albania. Understanding why people choose to study midwifery may help managers and educators develop student-focused and enticing midwifery programs.