“I often wonder if it was all worth it” – Exploring the experiences of financial hardship for Australian midwifery students

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

PROBLEM: The need to grow the Australian midwifery workforce is well established and increasing graduate numbers is essential. Midwifery students face several challenges during their studies, one of which is financial hardship. BACKGROUND: Mandatory midwifery practice experiences undertaken in the clinical environment are a pre-registration requirement for Australian midwifery students. Financial hardship associated with these requirements are wide ranging and cause significant challenges for students. AIM: To understand the experiences of financial hardship for midwifery students enrolled in Australian entry to practice programs. METHODS: An explanatory sequential mixed method design comprising two stages. For stage one, a national online survey of Australian midwifery students gathered baseline economic data and perceived causes of financial hardship. This consisted of closed and Likert scale questions with two open ended questions. Stage two involved semi-structured interviews with study participants. This paper reports on findings from stage one. FINDINGS: The survey was completed by 113 midwifery students representing most states across Australia. Thirteen percent reported annual household incomes below the poverty line and almost half indicated that financial hardship impacted their ability to complete their studies. Clinical placement was challenging, with 83 % indicating major to severe hardship during this time. While most students funded this through personal savings (77 %) many relied on family support. Responses to open-ended questions revealed seven themes, representing the multifaceted impact of financial hardship, encompassing both the students own personal experiences and broader consequences. DISCUSSION: Midwifery students face significant financial hardship exacerbated by demanding clinical requirements and limited support. Wide ranging consequences include disruption to educational progress, reduced psychological wellbeing, personal sacrifices and in some cases, loss of financial independence. Critically, students recognised the risk to the midwifery profession. CONCLUSION: Significant financial pressures exist, requiring prompt and effective action to reduce the vulnerabilities and barriers faced by midwifery students in Australia.