Factors Affecting the Career Choice of Midwifery Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

Background aim: As the level of knowledge about the factors affecting the choice of profession increases, individuals will receive better advice about choosing a profession, and the number of individuals satisfied with their profession will increase. This will in turn contribute to the general happiness and wellbeing of society in general. This research was carried out to determine the factors that affected the choice of midwifery as a profession by first-year students in a midwifery department during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study, which featured a qualitative content analysis, was conducted using a conventional approach. The research was carried out between 10 March 2021 and 21 April 2021 through socially-distanced face-toface interviews with 17 first-year students in the Department of MI of a Health School in a district in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey. A student information form and semi-structured interview schedule were used as the data collection tools. Students were interviewed until the data saturation was achieved. Results: The qualitative findings of study were analysed using the content analysis method. Five themes emerged from the analysis of the interviews: “interest in midwifery as a profession”, “the future of midwifery”, “the public image of midwifery”, “choosing midwifery as a profession” and “anxiety for selecting midwifery as a profession”. Conclusion: The midwifery students were interested in the profession despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and the outlook for midwifery was good. The students made statements about both the positive and negative public images of midwifery, and it was determined that the anxiety they experienced during the pandemic played an important role in their choice of the profession.