Midwifery mentorship in Aotearoa New Zealand: The mentors’ perspective

Abstract

Background: In Aotearoa New Zealand, midwifery mentoring aims to develop professional confidence and is formalised in a number of programmes to support sustainable midwifery practice in different settings. Mentoring is shown to be beneficial for mentee midwives, but little is known about the impact on the person who is doing the mentoring. Aim: To explore the key attributes that underpin midwifery mentoring in Aotearoa New Zealand from the mentors’ perspective; how these are applied by mentors within the mentoring relationship; and what impact this has on them professionally. Method: This qualitative research used focus groups with mentor midwives identified from the Find Your Mentor database. A semi-structured topic guide used seven simple open-ended questions to stimulate discussion. Discussions were transcribed and analysed using the 6 steps of Braun and Clarke’s (2006) inductive thematic analysis. Findings: Four main themes were identified. The mentors described Creating an empowered, safe space in which power was balanced with trust and respect, and confidentiality built so that experiences could be shared and reflections supported. The second theme identified the mentors’ role in Building a support infrastructure which focused firstly on the mentees’ development, ensuring professional knowledge and professional responsibilities were met, and secondly on building a network of professional relationships to enable safe practice. The third theme Supporting professional cohesion described how the mentors and the profession benefit from the understanding and acceptance of different ways of practising midwifery and different midwifery roles as seen through the mentees’ lens. The final theme Sustaining midwifery practice described how mentoring keeps mentors up to date and that, by supporting the work-life balance of the mentees, they also reflect on their own work-life balance and holistic wellbeing. The enthusiasm of the mentored midwives affirmed and fed the mentors’ own passion for their roles as both a midwife and a mentor, and reflected positively for the health of the profession. Conclusion: Midwifery mentoring relationships benefit both mentees and mentors, and support cohesion and sustainability within the profession.