Stress in student midwives: an occupational perspective

This article reviews key aspects of occupational stress in health professions with special reference to midwives. Findings from the general literature on this subject have been consistent for many years, and reference will be made to key articles which best illustrate the possible cause and impact of stress on professional health staff. There is, however, a dearth of literature looking at stress in midwives (Carlisle et al, 1994). This article reports studies which have made specific reference to occupational stress as a result of practice, education or other professional issues. This study examined, from a qualitative perspective, sources of stress encountered by student midwives during their training, and educational and practical sources of stress. A total of 199 students from 12 midwifery centres participated in the study; 127 from pre-registration and 74 from pre-registration (shortened) courses. Students were asked to describe incidents during their practice that they felt were stressful, and were asked to consider whether the stress resulting was: ‘a little’, ‘much’ or ‘very much’. The most common stressor was the concern about finding employment following qualification. There were a number of professional issues raised by respondents, who felt that they were disenchanted with the profession because of their perception of poor practice, long hours, poor job prospects and low wages. Several expressed their intent to leave midwifery. A major finding was that the ‘everyday’ experiences of the education setting (for example cancelled classes and poor resources) can have an impact upon students. Practitioners and educationalists are urged to consider the impact of the learning environment and appropriate preparation when educating students.