Bounce back- bounce forward: Midwifery students experience of resilience

Resilience is considered a vital characteristic and has gained attention in midwifery practice and education. In particular, midwifery students face challenges during their education in both academic and clinical components of the program. There is need for greater understanding and strategies to develop resilience in the midwifery student population. The aim of this study is to gain insight into how midwifery students conceptualise resilience, and explore how education might support the development of resilience. A focus group was conducted as part of a broader study underpinned by a concept analysis methodology to explore the students understanding of resilience. Participants included six third year midwifery students from one university. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Four key themes were identified. Resilience contextualised to midwifery was triggered by exposure to adversity; resilience was identified as the ability to bounce back and move forward, and was seen to be important for midwifery students. The concept of resilience appears to play an important role in student success. Evidence suggests resilience can be developed and education providers have a role to foster student's resilience. Findings offer strategies to strengthen resilient behaviour for the midwifery student population and provide a basis for further research.