Midwifery professional placement: Undergraduate students' experiences with novice and expert preceptors

Background: In recent decades, increased midwifery university places have been offered to address midwifery workforce shortages. As a result, more graduate midwives entered the workforce, in turn leading to more midwifery students precepted by novice midwives when on professional placement. It is not known whether this more junior midwifery workforce impacts student experience. Aims: To explore undergraduate midwifery students' experiences with novice and expert midwifery preceptors, and to identify the benefits and challenges of working with novice and expert preceptors, from the perspective of undergraduate student midwives. Method: This study used a qualitative descriptive approach. Nineteen third/fourth-year Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Midwifery (Honours) students attended six focus groups (ranging from 2 to 5 participants). Data were analysed thematically. Results: Three overarching themes were identified: ‘Building relationships’; ‘Teaching and learning’; and ‘Improvements to professional placement’. Benefits and challenges existed with both novice and expert preceptors. Importantly, feeling welcomed and receiving critical feedback were identified. Conclusion: The student/preceptor relationship is based upon feeling welcomed, and relatability, and is developed more easily with novice preceptors. Expert preceptors provide insightful and valuable feedback and are more able to actively teach. Novice preceptors' consolidation of practice can impact student learning opportunities. Including students in decision-making aids development of critical thinking. Allocation practices which address student learning needs will improve the student professional practice experience. Midwifery students benefit from working with midwifery preceptors of all experience levels. Translating the findings from this project into preceptorship training programs for midwives will improve student satisfaction and outcomes.