Student midwives’ lived experiences of clinical practice during pre-registration education

IF 4 3区医学 Q1 NURSING

Nurse Education in Practice Pub Date : 2026-05-01 Epub Date: 2026-04-28 DOI:10.1016/j.nepr.2026.104848

Jo Killingley , Liang Q. Liu, Betsy Thom

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Aim

This study explored student midwives in their transition into clinical practice during their programme, aiming to identify key enablers and barriers influencing their development into confident and competent practitioners.

Background

While educational programmes focus on developing clinical competence, less attention has been given to the nuances of student midwives transition. These factors are increasingly recognised as central to student well-being, learning and workforce retention.

Design

A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was adopted within a mixed-methods design to capture both the depth and breadth of student experience.

Methods

Data were collected from student midwives at one UK university using an online survey, focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Methodological triangulation enabled exploration of shared patterns while preserving individual lived experience. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to interpret the data within a strong conceptual framework, allowing themes to emerge beyond surface-level descriptions.

Results

Findings revealed strong intrinsic motivation rooted in vocational commitment and care, yet frequently challenged by emotionally demanding placements, inconsistent supervision, fragmented support structures and performance-driven clinical culture. Where students experienced emotionally intelligent supervision, continuity and peer support, they reported enhanced confidence, psychological safety and professional identity development.

Conclusions

Supervision should be reframed as a relational and reflective practice rather than a procedural requirement. Greater investment in protected supervisory roles, including Professional Midwifery Advocates (PMAs) and Clinical Practice Facilitators (CPFs), is essential. Embedding structured emotional support and reflective opportunities within clinical placements may enhance learning, well-being and long-term retention in the midwifery workforce.

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实习助产士在预注册教育中的临床实践经验

目的本研究探讨学生助产士在他们的项目过渡到临床实践，旨在确定关键的推动因素和障碍，影响他们发展成为自信和有能力的从业者。虽然教育项目侧重于发展临床能力，但很少关注学生助产士过渡的细微差别。这些因素越来越被认为是学生福利、学习和劳动力保留的核心。在混合方法的设计中采用了解释学现象学方法，以捕捉学生体验的深度和广度。方法采用在线调查、焦点小组和半结构化访谈的方式，从英国一所大学的助产士学生中收集数据。方法学三角测量使探索共享模式成为可能，同时保留了个人的生活经验。反身性主题分析被用于在一个强大的概念框架内解释数据，允许主题超越表面层面的描述。结果研究结果显示，强烈的内在动机植根于职业承诺和护理，但经常受到情感要求高的工作岗位、不一致的监督、支离破碎的支持结构和绩效驱动的临床文化的挑战。当学生经历了情商监督、连续性和同伴支持时，他们报告说他们增强了信心、心理安全和职业认同的发展。结论监督应重新定义为一种关系性和反思性的实践，而不是一种程序性要求。必须加大对受保护的监管角色的投资，包括专业助产倡导者（pma）和临床实践促进者（cpf）。在临床实习中嵌入结构化的情感支持和反思机会可以提高助产人员的学习能力、幸福感和长期保留率。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Nurse Education in Practice NURSING-

CiteScore

5.40

自引率

9.40%

发文量

180

审稿时长

51 days

期刊介绍： Nurse Education in Practice enables lecturers and practitioners to both share and disseminate evidence that demonstrates the actual practice of education as it is experienced in the realities of their respective work environments. It is supportive of new authors and will be at the forefront in publishing individual and collaborative papers that demonstrate the link between education and practice.