Determining the Relationships Between the Themes and Codes Related to Vocational Competence of Midwifery in Turkey: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Objective: This research is aimed to create themes and codes about professional competency in midwifery, to reveal the relationship between the codes created. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted between October 2018 and March 2019 at the Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatric Emergency Campus of a training and research hospital. This study was conducted in a training and research hospital in Sakarya province and 18 midwives who met the inclusion criteria were interviewed. The midwives were asked semi-structured questions in the Midwife Introduction and Interview Form and audio recorded. The responses to the questions were recorded, transcribed and coded using MAXQDA2018 software program. The codes were then analyzed and grouped according to categories and themes. Results: The median age of the midwives was 35 years. Of them, eight were bachelor’s degree, and six had been working in the delivery room for ≥16 years. In addition, a total of five themes, 17 categories, 35 codes were created and the usage density of these codes is 289. Conclusion: Since the midwives were unable to sufficiently describe the concept of competency as well as their own competencies, it was determined that additional education and research in community health services, hands-on experience and technological training could help build their skills and knowledge, make them more effective in their practice, increase their self-confidence and boost their overall job satisfaction.

Keywords

• ebelik
• yeterlilik
• yetkinlik
• doğum
• nitel çalışma
• midwifery
• competence
• competencies
• delivery
• qualitative study