Innovation
We have developed a system of group interviewing to enable us to place the midwifery candidate at the centre of the interview process for the Bachelor of Midwifery Programme. This provides an opportunity to make an assessment of the candidates’ suitability using a values based approach as identified by Scottish Government in their 2020 Workforce Vision. The group interviews involve clinical midwives; student midwives, parents and representatives from the third sector in the group selection process.
What prompted innovation?
Broader recognition of our need to select and retain nursing and midwifery students who demonstrate: care and compassion, dignity and respect, openness, honesty and responsibility, quality and teamwork necessitated our obligation to make sure that we present robust strategies for recruitment. We have examined the research to help us understand the process of identifying, selecting and retaining those candidates who have the potential to enhance professional roles and relationships. However, there appears to be little in the way of empirical evidence to support the processes that are used nationwide; for these reasons we have identified the need to evaluate the efficacy of the group interview.
What makes innovation different?
- The impact that it has had on recruitment and retention.
- The ability to implement current recommendations for values based approaches to recruitment and selection to nursing and midwifery programmes.
- The opportunity to standardise a process to ensure that recruitment and selection to nursing and midwifery programmes in Scotland is valid, reliable, equitable and above all, offers places to the right people.
Changes in practice
- It has engaged current students, clinical staff and user representatives in the process, this has given a sense of collective responsibility that has benefitted relationships across the childbirth spectrum.
- It has significantly reduced the amount of time and resource required to recruit candidate numbers that would be difficult to process in standard interview formats.
Impact
- Student evaluations have been very positive.
- Attrition from the programme has fallen significantly since the introduction of this process and is currently 8.5%.
- The academic potential of many of the students has been realised in both theory and practice, with a very high percentage receiving distinctions.
Dissemination
- The School of Nursing and Midwifery now uses the group interview process for its nursing programmes as well as the midwifery programme.
- An article discussing the process has been sent for consideration for publication by Nurse Education Today.