Institutional forces that influence the precepting of midwifery students

Abstract

Background

The lack of clinical preceptors, who play a key role in educating future healthcare providers, is often cited as a limitation to growing the midwifery and nursing workforce.

Purpose

To explore midwives’ perspectives on barriers to precepting midwifery students in order to support growing the preceptor workforce.

Methods

In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 18 midwives from across New Jersey. Analysis was guided by the tenets of thematic analysis and the Socioecological Model.

Discussion

Three overarching institutions were responsible for many of the barriers midwives experienced to precepting students and practicing to the full extent of their training: the state, the hospital, and the university. Recommendations from participants about improvements to support precepting included actionable items for each institution.

Conclusion

State governments, hospital systems, and academic institutions are vital to efforts to expand the pool of midwifery clinical preceptors needed to grow and diversify the perinatal healthcare workforce, including midwives, in the United States.