Factors Affecting the Career Choice of Midwifery Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

Background & aim: As the level of understanding about the factors affecting the choice of profession increases, individuals will receive better advice about choosing a profession, and the number of individuals satisfied with their profession will increase. This research was carried out to explore the factors that affect the choice of midwifery as a profession during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: This study, which featured a qualitative content analysis, was conducted using a conventional approach. The research was carried out between 10 March 2021 and 21 April 2021 through socially-distanced face-to face interviews with 17 first-year students in the Department of Midwifery of a Health School in a district in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey. A student information form and semi-structured interview schedule were used as the data collection tools. Students were interviewed until the data saturation was achieved. The qualitative data of study was analyzed using conventional content analysis.Results: Five themes emerged from the analysis of the interviews: “interest in midwifery as a profession”, “the future of midwifery”, “the public image of midwifery”, “choosing midwifery as a profession” and “anxiety for selecting midwifery as a profession”.Conclusion: The midwifery students were interested in the profession despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and the outlook for midwifery was good. The students articulated both the positive and negative public images of midwifery, and it was found that the anxiety they experienced during the pandemic played an important role in their choice of the profession.