Building faculty capacity for competency-based midwifery education in Rwanda - a cross-sectional study.

Area of Science:

• Midwifery education
• Competency-based education
• Faculty development

Background:

• Rwanda adopted a standardized, competency-based midwifery curriculum in 2024, aligned with International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) standards.
• Effective implementation hinges on midwifery educators' capacity to deliver the new curriculum.
• Assessing faculty development needs is critical for successful curriculum transition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify specific faculty development needs of midwifery educators in Rwanda.
• To inform strategies for strengthening their capacity in competency-based education delivery.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional mixed-methods study using an anonymous online survey in December 2024.
• Survey targeted midwifery faculty from all eight Rwandan institutions offering midwifery education.
• Data analyzed using descriptive statistics for quantitative and textual analysis for qualitative responses.

Main Results:

• Highest reported needs: curriculum design/module development (79%), scientific writing (79%), management/leadership (79%), and research skills (77%).
• Capacity needs identified in clinical teaching, simulation (66%), and clinical environment (77%).
• Faculty preferred blended learning with face-to-face components and short, intensive training formats.

Conclusions:

• Midwifery faculty in Rwanda require significant capacity development in education, leadership, and research.
• Targeted, context-specific faculty development initiatives are essential.
• Findings may inform similar low-resource settings implementing competency-based midwifery education programs.