Analyzing and strengthening the clinical support of undergraduate midwifery students and developing a mentorship training program at a higher education institution in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: a mixed method and action research design.
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Date
2022
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Abstract
The competence of midwifery students is highly dependent on the quality of clinical support they
receive during clinical placement. Offering support and training to midwifery practitioners, who
supervise students during placement, is necessary in South Africa. This study aimed to analyze
and strengthen the clinical support of undergraduate midwifery students, and develop a
mentorship-training program. This study adopted a mixed-method and action research approach
incorporating a descriptive and exploratory design. A convenient and purposive sampling
technique, multiple research tools (systematic scoping review protocol, questionnaires, interviews
and focus groups), and three different study populations (60 midwifery students, 28 practitioners
and 10 educators) complimented the aim of conducting a mixed-methods study. Data collection
commenced for Cycle 1 in May 2019 and concluded with Cycle 4 in April 2022. Quantitative data
was inserted into SPSS version 27 for descriptive and comparative analysis whilst qualitative data
used a thematic content analysis approach. Cycle 1 results highlighted that 93% of students had
support from midwifery practitioners and found that the clinical placement benefitted their
learning outcomes. Although students received three types of clinical support, namely clinical
supervision, mentorship and preceptorship, 80% of clinical support was clinical supervision. Postclinical
placement, students were incompetent in 11.4% of their clinical requirements. In Cycle 2,
a two-round Delphi method evaluated the quality of a mentorship-training program using
midwifery experts in round 1 and midwifery practitioners in round 2. There was an overall quality
score achieved of 81% round 1 and 96% in round 2. In Cycle 3, three themes emanated from the
focus group discussions. Mentorship training was a new phenomenon, empowered mentorship
abilities, and an investment toward midwifery leadership. Interview results showed that the
mentorship training program was a new, well-structured and valuable program; a refresher course
for midwifery clinical practitioners and educators, adequate to support midwifery practitioners in
their mentorship roles and responsibilities, and produced recommendations for midwifery practice
and education. Mentorship during clinical placement is likely to strengthen the clinical support of
midwifery students. A mentorship training program for midwifery practitioners developed in this
study is valuable to midwifery educators and practitioners in South Africa.
Description
Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.