Student Attrition in the Ontario Midwifery Education Program: A Qualitative Analysis—Part II: Personal Issues

Elena Neiterman, BA, PhD; Rhea Wilson, BA, BHSc, RM; and Derek K. Lobb, BSc, MSc, PhD

ABSTRACT 
Student attrition in the health care field is a persistent issue. To identify the factors associated with student midwives leaving their university program, we developed an Internet survey. Participants included senior-level students, graduates of the program, and those students that withdrew prior to graduation. This is phase II of qualitative analysis, and we have analyzed students’ written comments and found that finances, family obligations, and the midwifery model of practice and its associated lifestyle are areas where we might develop interventions to reduce student attrition.

KEYWORDS 
student retention, attrition, midwifery education

This article has been peer reviewed.