‘Work while you learn’: Evaluating a paid employment model for postgraduate midwifery students in diverse contexts

Postgraduate midwifery student employment models are lacking robust evaluation of how the paid employment model serves as a workforce strategy in Western Australia. The aim of this study was to evaluate a paid employment model for postgraduate midwifery students, that was implemented in metropolitan, rural, and regional areas in a Western Australian context. A convergent parallel design collected both quantitative and qualitative data. This study used a survey design with quantitative and qualitative questions within a well-established process evaluation framework. All midwifery students reported benefits of the paid model of employment, which included financial stability while studying and feeling valued by belonging to one institution. Challenges were identified as reduced or lack of exposure to some experiences and heavy workloads. The postgraduate midwifery students in this study were positive about the introduction of a paid employment model in the public, private and regional / rural hospital settings. The findings reported negatives and benefits for the students, and for the future workforce.