Exploring student midwives’ experiences regarding completion of the midwifery register at a nursing college in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Abstract

Background. The midwifery register forms part of basic nursing education. Notably, student midwives struggle with completion of the prescribed midwifery register. Objective. To explore and describe the experiences of student midwives regarding their completion of the midwifery register at a nursing college in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Methods. This qualitative study had an exploratory, descriptive, contextual design, and in-depth individual interviews were held. Tesch’s method was used to analyse data. Results. Three themes emerged, i.e. positive experiences related to completion of the midwifery register; negative experiences regarding completion of the midwifery register; and factors that contributed to the lack of completion of the midwifery register. Conclusion. The study findings recommend greater collaboration between different stakeholders to improve skills acquisition and completion of the midwifery register.