Becoming a midwife – A phenomenographic study of students' conceptions of learning within a midwifery continuity of care experience project

The midwifery continuity of care experience project was proven beneficial for student-centred learning, even within a fragmented context of clinical healthcare placement and in a developing phase. Students described participation in the MCoCE project, which offered continuous engagement with women during childbearing, as highly enriching their learning through active involvement, thus boosting and strengthening their professional confidence and identity. They described a possibility to develop meaningful relationships, internalise the core principles of midwifery, and acquire essential clinical competencies and perspectives that often are less accessible through ordinary education. Identified challenges must be addressed when formalising the project.