To achieve the competency levels required to practice as a registered nurse or midwife, student nurses and midwives require in-depth theoretical knowledge and practical skills. To fulfil the requirements, they need to undergo numerous hours of theoretical and practical training (McCarthy et al., 2018). In the European Union Member States, basic nursing education is regulated by Directive 2005/36/ EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on the recognition of professional qualifications (The European Parliament & of the Council of European Union). According to educational standards existing in Poland, nursing and midwifery undergraduate studies last at least six semesters and the number of theoretical and practical hours of training amounts for at least 4,720. Students in Poland spend a total of 2,300 hr in practical training and professional practice in various medical institutions during the whole course of the studies. Nursing students attend practical classes at such hospital wards as surgery, paediatrics, internal medicine, neurology, anaesthesiology, intensive care, geriatrics, palliative care and psychiatry, whereas midwifery students at neonatology,