gms | German Medical Science

Background: Midwifery is a science and an art. The rapid development of science constantly reshapes the stances and ideas thought to be true, this requires constant development of professional knowledge and skills [1]. Professional development is dependent on prerequisites of personal development: professional identity and the strength of professional motivation, which are in turn influenced by the organisation with its values [2], [3], [4].

Aim/Research Question: The aim of the master’s thesis is to describe the professional development motives of Estonian midwives. Research goals:

1.

Describe the factors of professional development and career motivation.

2.

Research the factors influencing job satisfaction of midwives

Methods: The master’s thesis is made up of theoretical and empirical data. In the theoretical part of the thesis, the concept of professional development, Herzberg’s Motivation Theory model and Oldham’s Job Characteristics model are described.

The empirical data of the research has been gathered through an anonymous questionnaire survey. The data was statistically analyzed taking into an account frequency distribution. Methods used to analyze the data were descriptive statistics, χ²-test and correlation analysis. The significance level set in this research was 0.05 (95% probability) (p=0.05).

Results: According to Herzberg (1968), the motivational factors behind development are the nature of the job, independence, need for fulfilment, responsibility and respect. The profession of midwifery requires mastery of complex skills, offers a lot of opportunities for self-fulfilment, allows to make independent decisions, work independently and fulfil a wide array of different assignments. A few of the midwives (13.5%) considered their job prestigious and more than a half (59.4%) thought the profession is not valued in society. The greatest factors influencing job satisfaction of midwives are work-related relationships (97%), professional skills (91.7%), opportunities for self-development (92.5%), diversity of the work (91.7%), an attitude of the board towards the job (92.5%) and working conditions (94%).

Relevancy: Midwifery belongs among jobs with high-stress risk. Midwives assess the factors influencing their job satisfaction based on the characteristics and nature of the work. One important factor shaping job satisfaction is the opportunity for career development, which is dependent on the personal motivation of the employee and organisational factors. The organisation and its environment have to support and encourage the employees by creating opportunities for professional education.

Recommendations/Conclusion: To signify and display the profession of midwifery in society. To turn more attention towards appreciation of midwives within the organisation. To develop evidence-based research of midwifery.

Ethics and conflicts of interest: A vote on ethics was obtained. The research was financed by own resources. There are no conflicts of interest.