Factors influencing prospective graduate midwifery students' willingness to work in rural areas in Mulago school of nursing and midwifery.

Abstract

Background: Midwives are among the main providers of reproductive health services they attend births more frequently than other health care providers in both urban and rural areas and their willingness to work in rural areas is an increasing global concern. Objective: The aim of this study is to determine factors influencing prospective graduate midwifery students‟ willingness to work in rural areas. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was used in the study. A total of 246 student midwives were included in the study using convenience sampling method. A self-administered questionnaire and focus groups were used to collect data. Data was entered and analysed using SPSS Version 16.0. Results: The findings of this study show that most of the respondents had no intention to work in the rural health facilities after their graduation. Some showed interest to work in rural health facilities only if financial incentives are increased (94.3%) and the rest were born in rural areas and this made them more willing to work there (53.3%). Conclusion: The majority of the student midwives who participated in this study had negative perception about rural areas and did not intend to practice there after their qualification. Recommendations: The Ministry of Health should ensure that there is adequate staffing and good working conditions for health facilities in rural areas.