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Working Together to Build Midwifery Educator Capacity: Findings from a Qualitative Study

Background:Midwifery educators play a critical role in strengthening the midwifery workforce in low and lower-middle income countries to ensure that women receive quality midwifery care. However, the most effective approach to building midwifery educator capacity is not always clear. Objective:This paper reports the findings from a study that aimed to determine how a capacity building initiative enabled the midwifery educators to improve the teaching and learning to ensure quality graduates. Methods:A qualitative study using an explanatory case study design was used to explore how the capacity of midwifery educators in low and lower-middle income countries can be strengthened. Data were collected from 26 semi-structured interviews conducted with both the national and international midwifery educators. The interviews explored the educator's perceptions of working together in teaching institutions and clinical practice sites to strengthen teaching capacity. A thematic analysis was undertaken. Results:There were seven themes identified. The first three provide insights into enabling factors for strengthening midwifery educator capacity: knowing your own capabilities, being able to build relationships and being motivated to improve the health status of women. The next four themes explored aspects perceived to constrain the individual's ability to improve midwifery educator capacity: having a mutual understanding of the capacity building project, preparing stakeholders for working together, knowing how to adapt to a different culture, needing an environment which supports improved midwifery education. Conclusion:The study provides evidence to support a capacity-building approach where international and national midwifery educators work closely together to strengthen teaching and learning skills. An individual's personal and professional attributes play a role in determining the success of working in such a partnership. Cultural competence, adapting to the context and a supportive environment were also identified as key aspects of a capacity building initiative.