The Social Prestige Of The Midwife Profession As A Challenge To Medical Education

Abstract

Introduction: The social prestige of a particular profession is defined by the time that is needed for its mastering, by the stability and mobility of the professional status, by the high degree of work independence and by the social expectations toward it. During the last years, interest toward the studying and practicing of the midwife profession has decreased considerably. This puts many questions before educational institutions and professional organizations.

Aim: The purpose of the recent research is to identify the factors which have the most influence over the interest toward the midwife profession in context of its social reputation.

Materials and Methods: The opinion of 22 students was researched. They were enrolled in the Midwife program at the Medical University of Varna in 2016 and 2017 as a second or further choice. The social attitudes in the media were researched during the period from April 2017 to May 2018.

A documental method was used, as well as research of Internet resources and contextual analysis of conducted interviews.

 The results revealed that the low social prestige is linked to the lack of interest toward studying and practicing of the midwife profession.