Perception of Professional Empowerment among Midwifery Graduates: School of Midwifery, University of Chile

Abstract

Purpose To identify and compare the perception of professional empowerment among midwifery students according to the type of curriculum. Research Question During 2009, a Competence Based Education (CBE) curriculum was implemented in the School of Midwifery, University of Chile to determine if this curriculum is effective in improving professional empowerment. Significance Studies of health care professionals note that the quality and safety of patient care is directly related to the degree of provider empowerment. Provider empowerment influences plans of care and contributes to the decision‐making outcomes of the multidisciplinary team. Studies carried out in Chile revealed that midwifery professionals employed in maternity units do not feel empowered enough to face a hierarchical and medicalized health system; moreover, midwifery students reported lack of self‐confidence among midwives working at Primary Health Care (PHC) clinics to address the prevalent and complex psychosocial problems affecting many women. Empowerment must be addressed during preservice education, and it is therefore a central aspect of curricula. Methods A structured online interview was conducted among a sample of 147 midwifery graduates of 2 different curricula (content and competency based vs CBE) of the School of Midwifery at the University of Chile, through an adaptation of the Perceptions Midwifery Empowerment Scale (PEMS) developed by Matthews (2009), translated by the backward‐translation technique, and tested in 10 midwives working in the maternity unit at the Clinical Hospital of the University of Chile, selected by convenience. This instrument comprises 3 domains: autonomous practice, effective management, and women‐centered practice. The study was approved by the ethics committee at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile. Results Globally, over 80% of the respondents revealed optimal levels of professional empowerment. According to the domains, those providing woman‐centered care reported the higher scores, and those who graduated from the CBE curriculum scored equally well at one‐year post graduation in comparison to those graduates with 5 years or more of clinical experience. Discussion Studying empowerment becomes very useful in the development of a competent professional to promote woman‐centered practice. These findings suggest the positive influence of CBE in enhancing professional empowerment; however, further and accurate assessment is required to complement these outcomes.