The mentoring model in practical education for midwifery students – a qualitative study

Małgorzata Stefaniak, Ewa Dmoch-Gajzlerska

Abstract


Introduction: To provide optimal obstetric care, it is important to properly prepare the graduates of obstetrics to take up employment in the profession and provide the highest level of service. Practical education should promote an innovative approach and support comprehensive student development. One of the key elements of this is the implementation of mentoring in the education of students in obstetrics.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the implementation of a practical learning programme based on a mentoring system. The evaluation was conducted by assessing the experiences and opinions of the project participants.

Materials and methods: The study involved 20 midwifery students of the Medical University of Warsaw who took practical classes in the mentoring system in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department at the Solec Hospital in Warsaw with a group of 8 mentor-midwives from the Solec Hospital. The study was carried out in the years 2017–2019. Participants were interviewed and asked 5 questions concerning their opinions and experiences of the implementation of practical activities in accordance with the idea of mentoring.

Results: Students highly valued the quality of practical classes in terms of improving professional skills and acquiring new competences under the supervision of experienced mentors. The mentors indicated that mentoring enriched the traditional didactic process.

Conclusions: Mentoring is a modern and innovative form of teaching practical lessons. The use of mentoring in the education of obstetrics students allows an improvement in the quality of internships.


Keywords


mentoring; midwifery; midwife; mentor; student; undergraduate clinical training

Full Text:

PDF

References


Edgecombe K, Wotton K, Gonda J, Mason P. Dedicated education units: 1. A new concept for clinical teaching and learning. Contemp Nurse 1999;8(4):166-71.

Dobrowolska B, McGonagle I, Kane R, Jackson CS, Kegl B, Bergin M, et al. Patterns of clinical mentorship in undergraduate nurse education: a comparative case analysis of eleven EU and non-EU countries. Nurse Educ Today 2016;36:44-52.

Schulz PM, Dunne CL, Burdett-Jones D, Gamble NS, Kosiak MM, Neal JM, et al. Evaluation of strategies designed to enhance student engagement and success of indigenous midwifery students in an Away-From-Base Bachelor of Midwifery Program in Australia: a qualitative research study. Nurse Educ Today 2018;63:59-63.

Gibson T, Heartfield M. Mentoring for nurses in general practice: an Australian study. J Interprof Care 2005;19(1):50-62.

Harvey S, Uren CD. Collaborative learning: application of the mentorship model for adult nursing students in the acute placement setting. Nurse Educ Today 2019;74:38-40.

Cummins AM, Denney-Wilson E, Homer CSE. The experiences of new graduate midwives working in midwifery continuity of care models in Australia. Midwifery 2015;31(4):438-44.

Waters D, Clarke M, Ingall AH, Dean-Jones M. Evaluation of a pilot mentoring programme for nurse managers. J Adv Nurs 2003;42(5):516-26.

Bradshaw C, Murphy Tighe S, Doody O. Midwifery students’ experiences of their clinical internship: a qualitative descriptive study. Nurse Educ Today 2018;68:213-7.

McKenna L. Nurturing the future of midwifery through mentoring. Aust J Midwifery 2003;16(2):7-10.

Stefaniak M. Good practices in obstetrics – mentoring in practical education of students. Położ Nauka Praktyka 2019;1(45):68-9.

Sokolnicka H, Mikuła W. Metody oceny jakości życia mające zastosowanie w medycynie. Med Rodz 2003;3-4:129-31.

Fisher M, Webb C. What do midwifery mentors need? Priorities and impact of experience and qualification. Learn Health Soc Care 2009;8(1):33-46.

Jansson I, Ene KW. Nursing students’ evaluation of quality indicators during learning in clinical practice. Nurse Educ Pract 2016;20:17-22.

Claeys M, Deplaecie M, Vanderplancke T, Delbaere I, Myny D , Beeckman D, et al. The difference in learning culture and learning performance between a traditional clinical placement, a dedicated education unit and work-based learning. Nurse Educ Today 2015;35(9):e70-7.

Pitkänen S, Kääriäinen M, Oikarainen A, Tuomikoski AM, Elo S, Ruotsalainenet H, et al. Healthcare students’ evaluation of the clinical learning environment and supervision – a cross-sectional study. Nurse Educ Today 2018;62:143-9.

Górka E, Kunecka D, Szylińska A, Ptak M. Coaching i mentoring w praktyce pielęgniarskiej. Pomeranian J Life Sci 2019;65(1):98-104. doi: 10.21164/pomjlifesci.547.

Henderson A, Eaton E. Assisting nurses to facilitate student and new graduate learning in practice settings: what ‘support’ do nurses at the bedside need? Nurse Educ Pract 2013;13(3):197-201.

Bisholt BK. The professional socialization of recently graduated nurses – experiences of an introduction program. Nurse Educ Today 2012;32(3):278-82.

Warne T, Johansson UB, Papastavrou E, Tichelaar E, Tomietto M, Van den Bossche K, et al. An exploration of the clinical learning experience of nursing students in nine European countries. Nurse Educ Today 2010;30(8):809-15.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.21164/pomjlifesci.737

Copyright (c) 2021 Małgorzata Stefaniak, Ewa Dmoch-Gajzlerska

License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/pl/