Professional socialization of midwives in the first year of work in hospital wards

Abstract

Introduction and objective: The first experience of entering a profession has a huge impact on an employee’s later life. They affect motivations for development, relationships with co-workers, and in the medical sector will directly translate into patient safety and well-being. When midwives take up their first job, they face challenges and obstacles related not only to their inexperience, but also to communication in teams, the implementation of which requires time and commitment on both sides–the implementing and experienced employee. Material and methods: The aim of the research presented here was to identify difficulties related to communication in midwifery teams, especially at the level of experienced–inexperienced midwife and to find out the opinions on mentoring as a way to support in the first months of work. The study was conducted by means of group interviews. Three interviews were conducted with a total of 11 midwives with 1-2 years of professional experience working in hospital wards in three Polish cities. Results: In the participants’ statements, three issues were singled out as the most important issues raised related to the difficulties of the first months at work: the organization of the induction system, the sense of mutual trust in the team of co-workers and the inequality of wages. Conclusions: A sense of security resulting from mutual trust and acceptance is crucial for young midwives entering the profession. A factor conducive to a smooth socialization process to work is a properly functioning mentoring system. Communication difficulties that cause division in teams, may be related to the inequality of salaries, resulting from the disparity in the level of education of midwifery staff in hospital wards.