Publication Details
Guerin, A.,
Geraghty, S.,
McChlery, S.,
&
Byrne, M.
(2024).
Midwifery students' experiences of learning to be 'with woman': A scoping review.
British Journal of Midwifery, 32 (8), 422-431.
Abstract
Background: Being ‘with woman’ is a fundamental concept deeply embedded within the midwifery profession and profoundly impacts maternal and infant wellbeing and outcomes. The clinical experiences of midwifery students shape their learning outcomes, future practice, and career aspirations. Understanding midwifery students' experiences of learning to be ‘with woman’ is vital in shaping and optimising learning strategies for providing midwifery students with positive and effective student-centred learning outcomes.
Objective: This scoping review aims to gain meaningful insight and understanding into the existing literature on midwifery students’ experiences of learning to be ‘with woman’.
Design: The scoping review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR), Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). The search was conducted within the databases CINAHL, PubMed, AusHealth, Medline and PsycInfo in July 2023, October 2023 and again in April 2024. Inclusion criteria were “midwifery students” and “student midwives”, used in conjunction with key terms such as “experiences”, “perspectives”, “with woman”, and “woman-centred”. The search included qualitative and quantitative research studies published in English between 2018 and 2024. The articles were screened for eligibility by title, abstract and full-text review by three reviewers.
Results: A total of 1,172 articles were screened, with nine articles included within the scoping review. Selected papers were from various countries, including Australia, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Iceland, and Japan. Key themes identified were ‘Continuity of Care’, ‘Partnership with Woman’, ‘Preceptor and Practitioner Impact’ and ‘Context and Contrast’.
Conclusion: Limited literature exists to explore and provide an understanding of the learning experiences and outcomes of midwifery students providing woman-centred care and developing a midwifery philosophy to be ‘with woman.’
Keywords
midwifery, students, with-women, women-centred, education
