Midwife students and hospital mentors satisfaction with professional practice in Estonia

INTRODUCTION: Mentoring has played an important role in the development and support of healthcare students during the last 15 years. Constant monitoring performed by a mentor and their constructive feedback is a useful tool in professional practice. The greatest factor having a negative influence is lack of time. Mentors and midwifery students’ satisfaction with practical training can be significantly affected by the clinical practice environment. This study aims to analyze the satisfaction of the mentors at women's clinics and midwifery students with the clinical practice. METHODS: The mixed methods study included midwifery mentors from the women's clinic and students who completed internships at the clinic in Estonia. The duration of the study was three years (2016–2019). Mentors were surveyed through focus group interviews. Students were surveyed through a semi-closed questionnaire. The study involved 15 midwives and 127 midwifery students. RESULTS: The mentors are aware that their responsibilities include the instruction, training, and assessment of the trainees, and they believe that a safe environment has an important role in passing the training successfully. Additionally, the most challenging aspect of providing instruction from the view of the mentors is the resultant lack of time. Students are satisfied with the mentors, co-workers, wards, and overall practical training at the women’s clinic. CONCLUSIONS: The most challenging aspect of providing instruction from the view of the mentors is the resultant lack of time. Students’ satisfaction with the said mentors is based on how well the students thought cooperation worked amongst mentors and co-workers. It is a problem for students from time to time that they are expected to have higher levels of skills than the knowledge they have acquired allows.