Factors Influencing Midwifery Students’ Decision to Choose the Midwifery Education Program in Albania

Abstract

Background: Midwives, as an essential part of the healthcare professionals, make a necessary contribution to the healthcare system. They are in demand in developed countries and developing countries like Albania. Aim: This study was carried out to identify the main factors that influence the students’ decisions about choosing midwifery as their career. Methods: A quantitative descriptive research design was used to identify the motivating reasons for attending midwifery. This quantitative explorative study was born at the University of Shkodra, Albania, with the midwifery students in February – March 2022. One hundred seventeen voluntary students were included in the study. The data were collected online via a questionnaire prepared from the authors and analyzed with the SPSS software, using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) test. Results: It was found that five main domain factors influence students on choosing midwifery as a future career. “Extrinsic rewards of midwifery” and “Employment security over midwifery life” were considered more critical domains. The dominant issues included were about: security, economic welfare, career opportunities, transferring to nursing studies, and more possibilities to work as a midwife in other countries. Conclusions: The findings of this study provided valuable information regarding motivating factors that attract the new generation to join midwifery in Albania. Understanding why people choose to study midwifery may help managers and educators develop student-focused and enticing midwifery programs.