Developing confidence in competence: My experience of the Midwifery First Year of Practice programme

Abstract

Competence comes in various forms and is identified as a core component of professional clinicians (Hodges & Lingard, 2012), with maintaining competence identified as a vital characteristic of the professional midwife (Calvert, Smythe, & McKenzie-Green, 2017). The Midwifery Council of New Zealand (2005) defines competence as, "the ongoing capacity to integrate knowledge, skills, understanding, attitudes, and values within the professional framework of the Midwifery Scope of Practice" (p.6). Within midwifery there is an expectation that midwives can work competently in all areas at all times (Edwards et al., 2016); however, the need and motivation to maintain overall competence depends on the midwife (Calvert et al., 2017). Confidence is often related to competence; however, they do not always co-exist. Confidence is defined as a feeling of self-assurance arising from an appreciation of a person's own abilities or qualities (Oxford Dictionary of English, 2010). The concept of confidence is an essential part of the transition from undergraduate student to midwife, through gaining confidence in their demonstrated competence. Factors such as the influence of colleagues, perceived autonomy and a sense of familiarity can contribute to enhancing confidence (Bedwell, McGowan, & Lavender, 2015).

Midwifery mentorship in Aotearoa New Zealand: The mentors’ perspective

“…Each new graduate midwife receives 12 months of mentorship from a mentor midwife of their choice, which involves 40-56 contact hours and at least 12 faceto-face mentoring sessions. The MFYP programme as a whole has been shown to have a positive impact on new graduates' confidence in the first year of practice, with mentees identifying mentoring as important to their professional development (Chapman, 2018;Pairman et al, 2016). Participation in the programme has also been linked to an increase in retention beyond the first year (Dixon et al, 2015).…”