@article{article_1424380, title={Are Turkish Midwifery Students Well-Prepared for the Profession? Assessing Their Self-Confidence Levels and Effective Factors}, journal={Journal of Midwifery and Health Sciences}, volume={7}, pages={584–596}, year={2024}, DOI={10.62425/esbder.1424380}, author={Bay, Fatma and Sayiner, Fatma and Bharatı, Sharma}, keywords={Competence, education, midwifery student, profession, self-confidence}, abstract={Objective: To determine the self-confidence levels of midwifery students in line with the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) competencies they are expected to possess before graduation and to explore effective factors. Methods: Descriptive and cross-sectional online survey design was used among quantitative research methods. The online survey link was spread through social media. From March to June 2020, 763 midwifery students completed a survey on demographic characteristics and rated their confidence for essential midwifery skills listed by ICM. Results: Among the subscales, the highest average belonged to postpartum care (3.32 ± 0.66) and the lowest average to intrapartum care (2.94 ± 0.59). The students reported having less self-confidence in obstetrics emergencies, risky delivery, and neonatal care. The difference between descriptive characteristics and the ICM competencies subscales was found to be statistically significant (p <.05; for each). The groups with the highest arithmetic average creating statistically significant differences were students aged 22 years, those attending foundation universities, those with work experience, those that had attended 50 or more births, and those that had engaged in eight or more clinical practices. Conclusion: Overall, the research findings emphasize the need for significant improvements in midwifery education and highlight the importance of practical experience in enhancing students’ self-confidence.}, number={4}, publisher={Ataturk University}