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CONFERENCE PROCEEDING
A way out of a ‘Midwifery Professional Identity Crisis?’: A crafting tool for designing, developing, and implementing professional identity for future-proof practice
1
KNOV Royal Dutch Organisation of Midwives, Education and Research, Utrecht, Netherlands
2
KNOV Royal Dutch Organisation of Midwives, Board Member, Utrecht, Netherlands
3
KNOV Royal Dutch Organisation of Midwives, Senior Program Coordinator Education and Research, Utrecht, Netherlands
Eur J Midwifery 2026;10(Supplement 1):A1079
ABSTRACT
THE LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Following this session, participants can: Recognize and articulate the key elements of a strong professional identity; Evaluate how professional identity aligns with these key elements using real-life scenarios and interactive case studies. Strengthen midwifery physiological practice for now and later.
THE PROCESS/ACTIVITIES:
"Knowing who you are and what you stand for helps you show up with confidence, make choices that fit you, and build trust with others.” Midwives worldwide face many challenges, one of which is the gradual erosion of the physiological childbirth paradigm (1). A strong professional identity appears to lead to professionals who exhibit wisdom, excellence, and resilience (2). While midwifery professional identity may be implicit, defining and describing midwifery identity – making the implicit explicit- may support midwives in making choices in alignment with midwifery ideology. In this interactive workshop, we will take participants on a journey into the development of a collective professional identity, using the Dutch ‘Professional Identity of the Midwife’ (3) as an exemplar. A tool developed by the Royal Dutch Association of Midwives, but which could be applied to other settings in either the global North or South, will facilitate participants to apply this tool to areas of contemporary midwifery practice. These may be practice, educational or policy based dilemma’s faced by midwives. The tool will be used to contemplate and consider these within the context of midwifery professional identity, leading to practical approaches that can be applied in different contexts.
AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION:
Interactive, group work, serious gaming Additional reading 1. Henshall B, East C, Grimes H, Davis J. What is 'Physiological Birth'? A Scoping Review of the Perspectives of Women, Stakeholders and Care Providers. Women Birth. 2023;36(Suppl 1):S8 2. Ruijters MCP, Je Binnenste Buiten, eds. Over Professionele Identiteit in Organisaties, Boom. 7th ed. 2015 3. Koninklijke Nederlandse Organisatie van Verloskundigen. ‘De Beroepsidentiteit van De Verloskundige’, Utrecht, June 2025
Following this session, participants can: Recognize and articulate the key elements of a strong professional identity; Evaluate how professional identity aligns with these key elements using real-life scenarios and interactive case studies. Strengthen midwifery physiological practice for now and later.
THE PROCESS/ACTIVITIES:
"Knowing who you are and what you stand for helps you show up with confidence, make choices that fit you, and build trust with others.” Midwives worldwide face many challenges, one of which is the gradual erosion of the physiological childbirth paradigm (1). A strong professional identity appears to lead to professionals who exhibit wisdom, excellence, and resilience (2). While midwifery professional identity may be implicit, defining and describing midwifery identity – making the implicit explicit- may support midwives in making choices in alignment with midwifery ideology. In this interactive workshop, we will take participants on a journey into the development of a collective professional identity, using the Dutch ‘Professional Identity of the Midwife’ (3) as an exemplar. A tool developed by the Royal Dutch Association of Midwives, but which could be applied to other settings in either the global North or South, will facilitate participants to apply this tool to areas of contemporary midwifery practice. These may be practice, educational or policy based dilemma’s faced by midwives. The tool will be used to contemplate and consider these within the context of midwifery professional identity, leading to practical approaches that can be applied in different contexts.
AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION:
Interactive, group work, serious gaming Additional reading 1. Henshall B, East C, Grimes H, Davis J. What is 'Physiological Birth'? A Scoping Review of the Perspectives of Women, Stakeholders and Care Providers. Women Birth. 2023;36(Suppl 1):S8 2. Ruijters MCP, Je Binnenste Buiten, eds. Over Professionele Identiteit in Organisaties, Boom. 7th ed. 2015 3. Koninklijke Nederlandse Organisatie van Verloskundigen. ‘De Beroepsidentiteit van De Verloskundige’, Utrecht, June 2025
| eISSN: | 2585-2906 |
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