Midwifery Students' Perception of Episiotomy Skill Self- Efficacy and Examination of Influencing Factors / Ebelik Öğrencilerinin Epizyotomi Becerisi Öz Yeterlilik Algısı Ve Etkileyen Faktörlerin İncelenmesi

The aim of this study was conducted to investigate midwifery students' episiotomy skills self- efficacy levels and the factors affecting them. The sample of the study, which was conducted in a descriptive design, consisted of 135 students studying in the 3rd and 4th grades of the Midwifery Department of a public university in the 2023-2024 academic year. Data were collected with "Descriptive Information Form" and "Episiotomy Skills Self-Efficacy Scale (ESESES)". Descriptive statistics, Mann Whitney you and Kruskal Wallis Test were used to evaluate the data. The mean age of the midwifery students who participated in the study was 22.22±2.01 years and 85.9% of them preferred the midwifery profession willingly. It was found that 72.6% of the students felt that they belonged to the midwifery profession and 31.9% considered themselves sufficient in terms of theoretical knowledge and practice. It was determined that 77.8% of the students performed episiotomy suture practice with low reality simulation, 20.7% on living tissue and 17.8% with high reality simulation. It was determined that 71.1% of the students used chicken meat/ calf tongue, 19.3% used sponge/fabric, and 9.6% used models to improve episiotomy practice. The mean score of the students' episiotomy skills self-efficacy scale was found to be 55.09±10.69. It was determined that the mean scale scores significantly differed depending on whether the participants intentionally chose their field of study and perceived themselves as competent in both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. In line with the findings of the study, it was determined that midwifery students' episiotomy skills and self-efficacy perceptions were at a moderate level.