Student Self-perceptions of Midwifery Competencies Before Completing Midwifery Education

The purpose of this study was to clarify student self-perceptions of midwifery competencies before completing midwifery education as a basis for constructing a learning model to promote the adoption of the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) for students to seamlessly participate in clinical practice. 　OSCE using some cases formulated mainly by clinical supervisors was conducted for 8 students before completing midwifery education. Subsequently, a group interview was conducted with the students, and the interview data were organized as narrative records for qualitative and inductive analysis. 　The students highly rated their achievement levels in the following 7 categories of midwifery competencies: [giving appropriate consideration to comfort parturient women], [providing family-centered approaches], [conducting experience-based assessment], [appropriately handling phone calls based on experience], [collecting information for care], [understanding realistic settings], and [clarifying one’s personal challenges after rating his/her achievement level]. In contrast, they rated their achievement levels as low in the following 5 categories: [giving appropriate consideration to comfort parturient women], [providing family-centered approaches], [conducting deeper assessment], [appropriately managing both mothers and children], and [sharing information to perform midwifery practice as a team]. 　The results revealed that student experiences through previous practice and training markedly influence their self-perceptions of midwifery competencies, as the students highly rated their achievement levels and abilities based on their successful experiences through previous practice and training. Confirmation of their midwifery competencies before completing midwifery education also helped them realize their abilities and clarify their personal challeng.