gms | German Medical Science

Background: The sense of coherence – consisting of comprehensibility, feasibility and meaningfulness – is a psychological strength that positively influences students’ academic performance and is a predictor of burnout during studies.

Aim/research question: The aim is to use the current state of research and the results of interviews with experts to develop a concept for midwifery studies that works to increase resilience in midwifery students. The research question is: How can resilience be increased in midwifery students? Which factors play a significant role in the building of resilience of midwifery students?

Methods: The current state of research on increasing resilience in the midwifery profession was recorded by means of structured literature research. The results were elaborated with semi-structured guideline-based expert interviews. Three midwives were interviewed who currently work with midwifery students and have background knowledge of salutogenesis.

Findings: The early introduction of reflection, supervision, peer learning and the availability of role models in midwifery studies are suitable for increasing resilience. Curricular change, simulations and a trusting relationship between teachers and learners are further recommended possibilities that have a positive effect on increasing the resilience of midwifery students. Essentially, it is necessary to strengthen the components of feasibility and understandability of the sense of coherence in order to support midwifery students in their resilience. Measures such as peer learning and group reflection can make the relationship with lecturers and the students among themselves trusting and thus make a further contribution to resilience.

Relevance: The work of a midwife requires empathic care and quick action in critical situations. Students should be trained for this. Resilience is necessary for dealing with difficult situations and adapting to the stress of the midwifery profession. More than one in three midwives is thinking about leaving the profession. The reasons for this are stressors that are already present in midwifery studies and which can be overcome through resilience.

Conclusion: Midwives are professionals in the field of pregnancy, birth and the early childhood. The midwifery profession involves the occurrence of unpredictable and undesirable events. Midwifery students should be trained for these challenges and especially for the correct medical care. They encounter difficult situations during their studies - just as midwives do in their professional practice – which they have to cope with. This requires resilience. Resilience is still insufficiently implemented in the German midwifery curriculum. In particular, reflection, supervision, peer learning and simulations are possibilities that should already take place at the beginning of the course. Strengthening the students’ sense of coherence is another possibility that has been proven to be effective. By enhancing students’ motivation through strengthening feasibility and comprehensibility, midwives-to-be can become more resilient.

Ethics and conflicts of interest: This abstract was written in the context of a bachelor’s thesis. The research did not require ethical approval. No specific code of ethics was taken into account. The research was financed by own resources. There are no conflicts of interest.

The PDF file of the poster submitted for the meeting is available in German as Attachment 1 [Attach. 1].