Midwifery students' perceptions and experiences of learning in clinical practice: a qualitative review protocol

Objective: This systematic review aims to investigate and synthesize qualitative evidence related to midwifery students' perceptions and experiences of learning in clinical practice. Introduction: Midwifery students are required to develop strong competencies during pre-registration education for future practice. Clinical placements provide a good opportunity for students to build essential practice capacities. Understanding the perceptions and experiences of midwifery students in clinical practice helps develop effective midwifery clinical educational strategies. A qualitative systematic review is therefore proposed to improve midwifery clinical education. Inclusion criteria: This proposed review will consider qualitative studies that have explored midwifery students' perceptions and experiences of learning in clinical practice in all degrees. The search will be limited to English-language published and unpublished studies to the present. Methods: This review will follow the JBI approach for qualitative systematic reviews. A three-stage search will be conducted to include published and unpublished literature. Databases to be searched include PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, American Nurses Association, Google Scholar, ProQuest Dissertation & Theses, and Index to Theses in Great Britain and Ireland. Identified studies will be screened for inclusion in the review by two independent reviewers. Any disagreements will be resolved through discussion. Data will be extracted using a standardized tool. Data synthesis will adhere to the meta-aggregative approach to categorize findings. The categories will be synthesized into a set of findings that can be used to inform midwifery education. Systematic review registration number: PROSPERO CRD42020208189