Exploring the experiences of midwifery educators in clinical teaching settings in Northern Malawi

Abstract Background Globally, midwifery educators play a crucial role in preparing students for clinical practice. However, little is known about their experiences in clinical teaching settings, particularly in low-resource settings like Malawi. The study aimed to explore the experiences of midwifery educators in clinical teaching settings in Northern Malawi. Methodology A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 13 participants,10 midwifery educators from three nursing and midwifery training institutions and teaching hospitals in Northern Malawi and 3 deans of nursing and midwifery faculty (refer to supplementary file 1). Content analysis was used to analyze data and identify emerging themes. Results The study findings revealed that midwifery educators face various challenges, including negotiating multiple roles, inadequate clinical teaching space, and Inadequate clinical supervision. Despite these challenges, the educators identified several factors that facilitate effective clinical teaching, including the availability of clinical and policy guidelines, good clinical preparation, and cordial relationships between educators, clinical staff, and students. Conclusion There is a need for tailored interventions to support midwifery educators in clinical teaching settings to fast track the translation of theory to practice at the clinical area. The findings have implications for midwifery education and practice, and can inform policy and practice changes aimed at enhancing the quality of midwifery education in Malawi and similar contexts.