Midwives’ Intention to Stay in the Profession: Results of a Mixed-Methods Pan-Canadian Study

Elena Neiterman, PhD, Farimah HakemZadeh, PhD, Isik U. Zeytinoglu, PhD, Johanna Geraci, RM, Jenn Plenderleith, MSc, and Derek Lobb, PhD

ABSTRACT

Midwifery is a rewarding career, but a considerable number of midwives decide to leave the profession early. To explore how to improve retention among midwives in Canada, we conducted a national study funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Applying a mixed-method design, we explored (a) practicing midwives’ intention to stay in the profession and (b) factors that shape midwives’ professional experiences and their job satisfaction. We had 720 midwives respond to our 2018 online survey. To better understand midwives’ working experiences, we also conducted qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 29 midwives across Canada. Our findings suggest that while the majority (95%) of midwives feel pride from their work and enjoy it, about a third of midwives who took part in our study considered leaving the profession. Qualitative and quantitative data suggest that challenging working conditions, inadequate remuneration, and a policy context in which midwives work may impact their decision to leave the job. In conclusion, we identify actionable strategies for workforce policy planning that can improve working conditions for Canadian midwives and increase retention.

KEYWORDS

midwives, intention to stay, experiences, working conditions, retention, mixed methods

This article has been peer reviewed.

Midwives’ Intention to Stay in the Profession: Results of a Mixed-Methods Pan-Canadian Study

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