Attitudes and motivation of midwives to improve communicative competence

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: For the effective formation of knowledge, skills and competences, for their improvement and application in practice, the attitudes and motivation of the individual are essential. AIM: The aim of the study is to investigate and analyze the attitudes and motivation of students, enrolled in the Midwife program at Trakia University, to develop communicative competence in the process of training or the inclination of practicing midwives in health institutions to improve their communicative competence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The size of the representative sample was 467 respondents, of which 73 were midwives working in the system of hospital obstetric care, 226 -patients, 155 -students enrolled in the Midwife program at the Trakia University, and 13 -lecturers. The results were processed with reliable mathematical and statistical methods and provided enough information to draw the necessary conclusions. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: It was determined that students from the Midwife program at Trakia University are highly critical of the level of their communication skills and have a positive attitude and motivation towards their improvement during the learning process. A significant part of practicing midwives are not critical of the level of communicative competence and have no motivation to improve in this direction.