Hospital-based assistant in Midwifery role for undergraduate midwifery students: A survey exploration

Elaine Burns; Zoi Triandafilidis; Amy Hargreaves; Hazel Keedle; Meg Hitchick; Oceane Campbell; Rakime Elmir

doi:10.1016/j.midw.2022.103319

Hospital-based assistant in Midwifery role for undergraduate midwifery students: A survey exploration

Midwifery. 2022 Jul:110:103319. doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2022.103319. Epub 2022 Apr 21.

Authors

Elaine Burns¹, Zoi Triandafilidis², Amy Hargreaves³, Hazel Keedle⁴, Meg Hitchick⁵, Oceane Campbell⁶, Rakime Elmir⁷

Affiliations

¹ School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University, New South Wales, Australia. Electronic address: e.burns@westernsydney.edu.au.
² School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University, New South Wales, Australia. Electronic address: z.triandafilidis2@westernsydney.edu.au.
³ NSW Nurses and Midwives Association, New South Wales, Australia. Electronic address: ahargreaves@nswnma.asn.au.
⁴ School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University, New South Wales, Australia. Electronic address: H.Keedle@westernsydney.edu.au.
⁵ Western NSW Health District. Electronic address: meghitchick@yahoo.com.au.
⁶ Hunter New England Local Health District. Electronic address: oceanecampbell@health.nsw.gov.au.
⁷ School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University, New South Wales, Australia. Electronic address: R.Elmir@westernsydney.edu.au.

PMID: 35525021
DOI: 10.1016/j.midw.2022.103319

Abstract

Problem: Little is known about the experiences of undergraduate midwifery students employed as Assistants in Midwifery (AIM) in Australia.

Background: Assistants in Nursing have been embedded in the Australian health system for many years, but the AIM role is relatively new. Undergraduate Bachelor of Midwifery students, in second or third year, can gain employment as an AIM at hospital maternity units. Little is known about the scope of practice for these roles and the experiences of AIM.

Aim: This study aimed to explore the experiences and scope of practice of AIM in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, over the last five years.

Methods: A Qualtrics online survey enabled collection of quantitative and qualitative data from 128 respondents in late 2019. This was accompanied with the analysis of position descriptions for all AIM jobs advertised between September 2019 and February 2020.

Findings: Analysis of AIM position descriptions reflected nursing language rather than midwifery. Survey responses demonstrated ambiguity about the AIM scope of practice and the appropriate level of supervision required to perform the role. Qualitative data revealed the many benefits of the role for midwifery students.

Discussion: Opportunities to participate in midwifery assistant work enhances student confidence and improves job readiness. However, a clearly defined scope of practice is one of the most important components of any employment model for undergraduate students. Clarification of the role and scope of practice of the AIM role is long overdue. There is ongoing need for advocacy to ensure that students working as AIM are employed to carry out midwifery activities and are supervised by midwives.

Conclusion: This project provides insight into the advantages and disadvantages of working as an AIM whilst studying for a Bachelor of Midwifery degree. While the AIM position reaps many rewards for students, appropriate supervision in the workplace requires availability of adequate numbers of employed registered midwives.

Keywords: Employment; Hospital; Maternity; Midwifery; Skill mix; Student; Workforce.

MeSH terms

Australia
Female
Hospitals
Humans
Midwifery* / education
Pregnancy
Students
Students, Nursing*
Surveys and Questionnaires