Abstract
Purpose
We investigate the three points of view concerning the practice of clinical care delivery and continuing midwifery care from the perspective of newly graduated midwives. The first point of view concerns cases in which the clinical practice is successfully applied in the clinical setting. The second concerns cases in which the newly graduated midwives face difficulties in the clinical setting. The third concerns newly graduated midwives' suggestions regarding the practice of clinical care delivery and continuing midwifery care. This study evaluates the efficiency of the practice of clinical care delivery and continuing midwifery care.
Subjects and Method
Semi-structured interviews were conducted on seven midwives who had graduated from a midwifery educational program three or four months prior. Interviews were transcribed and a qualitative inductive analysis was performed using the methods of Berelson.
Results
Clinical practices that were successfully applied in the clinical setting were "midwifery diagnoses and skills based on practice experiences" , "midwives' responsibilities and attitudes affected by communication with senior midwives and pregnant women" and other two factors. Concerning about a difficulty in the clinical setting, the midwives reported "confusion regarding diagnoses due to a lack of experience" and other three factors. During interviews, the newly graduated midwives reported that they hoped to learn about "breast diagnoses and health guidance for breastfeeding care through senior midwives' advice", "midwifery diagnoses and skills for understanding pregnant woman and newborn babies" and other two factors.
Conclusion
The present findings suggest the following four points for improving clinical practice:
1. Reconfirm what the subjects learned by reflecting on the care delivery after each practice.
2. Emphasize the importance of experience in caring for pregnant woman, and establish an environment that encourages advice from senior midwives
3. Use practice time effectively for midwifery care other than care delivery, and motivate students.
4. Experience the practice of breastfeeding care with a model midwife.
