Student midwives' experiences of the personally facilitated birth requirement

Background/Aims Nationally, spontaneous vaginal births have been decreasing, accompanied by an increase in caesarean sections and assisted vaginal births. Nevertheless, the Nursing and Midwifery Council standards for pre-registration midwifery education state that student midwives should facilitate 40 vaginal births. This study aimed to explore student midwives' experiences of this requirement and its impact on woman-centred care and student mental health. Methods This exploratory study collected data from purposively selected midwifery students using an anonymous online survey carried out at one university in the East of England. Quantitative data were subjected to descriptive analysis. Free text data were analysed thematically. Results A total of 86 responses were received. The majority of participants (69%) reported that the requirement impacted their mental health. Qualitative analysis identified four themes: the competition, requirement not reflecting the landscape, missed learning opportunities and mental health. Conclusions There is a disconnect between the current clinical landscape and the expectation for student midwives to facilitate 40 spontaneous vaginal births. With declining vaginal birth rates, this requirement fosters competition, limits exposure to complex cases and impacts student wellbeing, potentially compromising woman-centred care. Implications for practice The findings suggest that education providers and regulatory bodies should reconsider the use of fixed numerical requirements for assessing competence.