Comparison of professionalism and job satisfaction between Korean midwives in birthing centers and midwives in hospitals

Purpose: Midwives working in hospitals (MWH) have limited roles in managing and assisting births independently. To find ways to successfully integrate midwifery into care systems, exploring midwives’ work-related perceptions might be the first step. The purpose of this study was to compare professionalism and job satisfaction between Korean midwives working in birthing centers (MWBC) and MWH. Methods: A descriptive comparative design was used, querying 19 MWBC and 53 MWH in Korea. Data were accrued from October to November 2017 using the Professionalism Inventory Scale and the Job Satisfaction Scale. Results: Age, marital status, monthly income, length of career as a midwife, and length of career in the current workplace were significantly different between MWBC and MWH. The level of professionalism in MWBC showed significant differences by position at the birthing center (t=16.19, p=.001). Professionalism and job satisfaction among MWH showed significant differences depending on perceived professional performance (F=9.95, p<.001 and F=11.04, p<.001, respectively). Levels of professionalism and job satisfaction were higher for MWBC than for MWH. Conclusion: Educational programs designed to enhance professionalism and expand the role of MWH are suggested. Also, policy changes that clearly define job roles and improvement of the legal system is required to enable MWH in Korea to effectively perform their midwifery work and be properly reimbursed.