It is important to note that midwifery is a frontline profession when it comes to maternal and child health. So whatever approach is on the table aiming to improve maternal and child health of any given community-be it in developed or developing countries, it should necessarily consider involving midwifery at each step.
The midwives we (here in Ethiopia) are producing has been evidently reported to be incompetent in terms of the core competencies of the profession. According to the Ethiopian national licensure examination of year 2016, it is only 22% of students who took the exam were able to pass.
The midwives we (here in Ethiopia) are producing has been evidently reported to be incompetent in terms of the core competencies of the profession. According to the Ethiopian national licensure examination of year 2016, it is only 22% of students who took the exam were able to pass.
There are a lot of strategies teaching institutions are implementing to overcome the challenge. Providing frequent effective teaching skills for the tutors, assigning preceptor in the clinical sites, updating the curriculum are among those strategies. A lot of international organizations are passionately participating in the effort, playing their role in producing competent midwives.
However, the problem is not only from the training institutions or infrastructures. It goes beyond the institution factor up to the students themselves. Each new coming student is a victim of information shortage about midwifery. In a country like Ethiopia, where there is a higher maternal death, it is not acceptable to ignore the role of midwives. But the fact is midwifery profession is not in the vocabulary of almost all citizens. It is the extremely under-valued profession. No one is willing to join it.
Surprisingly, among all midwifery students I have ever taught, a significant number of them heard the word “midwifery” after they join the department. They reported that it was not their choice at all. As a result of this our department here in Mekelle University is always full of students complaining to change the department. We persist in saying no to their complaint despite their interest. I can say it is the case of not only Mekelle University but also other universities throughout the nation.
Educational psychologists insist on the importance of interest to the department to have a motivation to pay whatever it takes to be successful in that journey. Ignoring this fact is a waste of resource and energy.That is what is happening in our country. We are wasting our time and energy but not producing competent midwives. Because of it was not their choice they are very demotivated to study and do the assignment. Instead of conducting their project they prefer to copy it from somewhere else thinking that they do not need to know whatever midwifery is about.
During their hospital attachment, they only go for attendance and the very moment the mentor is out of the facility they will leave too. As a result of this, they will not get the skills. Painfully, their instructors also came this way so they themselves lack the skills. This will help students to pass indiscriminate exams designed by those skill deficient instructors. I can confidently say that almost all teachers in midwifery department believe that it is not their lifetime profession. They will leave it sooner or later. This approach is killing the next generation joining the profession. Teaching is all about being passionate and skillful. It is difficult to be passionate without interest and motivation.
What is the solution??
First look at the problem, it is all about being students’ choice. Therefore, the right question is why students are not interested? The answer for this, I think, is they don’t have any information about midwifery; starting from its existence. I remember a student trying to see the definition of midwifery in the oxford dictionary after they told him that he is joining. Imagine, a 12th-grade student has no idea what midwifery is. Creating campaign aiming at increasing awareness of the public about midwifery is vital.
Inspirational training for student midwife will enhance their interest too. Personally, I am conducting motivational speech for my students but it needs to be scaled up. If midwifery have to be as influential as it should be, then first we need passionate midwives and student midwives. We have to close the information gap to do so. New coming students should know what midwifery is before they become student midwife. Then we will have a student who chose (not forced) to be midwife.
By Seifu Kebede (BSc, MSc.), Midwife, Researcher, Educator, Mekelle University, Ethiopia.
