The effect of simulation-based birth management education on midwifery students' clinical practice attitudes and self-efficacy

Simulation-based training in midwifery education is important as it supports the development of students' clinical practice skills, their active participation in clinical practice, and the enhancement of their self-confidence. This research was designed as a descriptive-comparative cross-sectional study to identify and compare the clinical practice attitudes and self-efficacy of students who have completed various birth management training programs. Between January and May 2024, a total of 104 students (n=104) from the Midwifery Departments of two foundation universities who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. In birth management, the students who received simulation-based education formed the experimental group, while those who did not receive simulation-based education formed the control group. While the students in the experimental group received 14 weeks of simulation-based birth management training with the researcher's participation, the control group was trained in the skills laboratory using mannequins and related materials. The data were collected using the Student Identification Information Form, the Clinical Practice Assessment Form, the Clinical Practice Attitudes Scale, and the Self-Efficacy and Competency Scale, and were evaluated using appropriate statistical methods. As a result of our study, students who received simulation-based birth management training reported that they perceived themselves as more competent in clinical practice (t=1.690; p<.001). It has been found that attitudes towards clinical practice and self-efficacy and competence show similar features (p>.05). A moderate positive correlation was found to exist between students' attitudes towards clinical practice and their self-efficacy (p<.05).