BACKGROUND:
Lifelong learning is a key regulatory element of the midwifery profession. It is appropriate to identify the key competencies that form the basis of the profession and set the content of midwifery lifelong learning accordingly. Key competencies must be maintained and appropriately linked to the continuous professional development of midwives.

OBJECTIVES:
Our aim was to create a design combination of research methods suitable for identifying key competencies. We verified this model in midwifery in the Czech Republic.

METHODS:
The prospective study used a set of interconnected qualitative methods, including content analysis of documents, focus groups and a Delphi survey, which was attended by experts from the field of midwifery and related professions. The study was conducted in the Czech Republic in 2024.

RESULTS:
Based on the results of the content analysis of documents, 22 key competencies were identified within the focus group. The Delphi study presented 17 proposals for changes that were re-evaluated in subsequent rounds of the Delphi survey, with only one proposal not reaching consensus. Twenty key competences for midwives were identified, which serve as a basis for setting up lifelong learning for midwives.

CONCLUSIONS:
Identifying midwifery key competences at national level is essential to establish clear rules for continuous professional development. The proposed research design for identifying key competences appears to be a suitable method and could be of benefit to other healthcare systems where the midwifery regulation is not fully defined, including the setting up of lifelong learning.

KEY MESSAGE:
Setting up continuous professional development for midwives in different national systems based on the identification of key competencies is adequate and an integral part of midwifery education. Poster session 3 (Group B)