PURPOSE:
This poster reports evaluation of an undergraduate midwifery research internship programme funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and University of East Anglia in England. It highlights key aspects of professional and personal development and demonstrates the value of this learning experience in engaging midwifery students in research. It also considers the value and accessibility of this learning approach in different resource settings.

DISCUSSION:
Three student midwives participated in a bespoke research internship programme over the course of six months in 2024. Activities included completion of data collection and analysis for a self-driven research project, engagement with a service user group, accessing learning materials provided via the NIHR academy, workshopping research ideas, in-person presentation at a midwifery research network meeting, and attendance at one local and one international conference (with poster presentation). The students completed a post-internship evaluation survey about their experiences and learning. Thematic analysis of their responses identified three themes, “catalyst for personal and professional development”, “an outward looking perspective” and “community via research”.

EVIDENCE WHERE RELEVANT:
There is a strong drive in the UK to increase midwife research engagement due to recognition of the importance of research participation, delivery and leadership by nurses and midwives to enhance health outcomes (NHSE, 2021). Enabling midwife and nurse research activity must remain a priority within UK health research strategy (Darzi, 2024). Qualified midwives face multiple barriers to pursuing research in their careers, which must be addressed at an early career stage (Terry and Spendlove, 2025).

KEY MESSAGE:
Internships provide hands-on learning and positively impact student midwives’ personal and professional development in research, encouraging consideration of research as a viable element within their midwifery practice. Pragmatic challenges regarding accessibility need to be overcome, requiring educators to consider ways of scaling such experiences including in different resource settings. Poster session 3 (Group B)