TITLE:
Migration of Healthcare Professionals: Exploring Self-Perception about Midwifery Professional Life and Continued Education
AUTHORS:
Etleva Rustami, Alma Pula, Elida Peka, Klodiana Poshi, Elinda Gjata
KEYWORDS:
Midwifery Students, Continuing Education, Migration, Expectations
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nursing,
Vol.13 No.10,
October
25,
2023
ABSTRACT:
Introduction: International migration has always existed, primarily as a means to find economic opportunity.
Recently, the number of health care professionals seeking to work outside
Albania is growing rapidly. In 2021 alone, 1073 nurses left Albania. The
departure of health care professionals is reflected in education where
it can be observed that a good part of the students who finished the bachelor’s
level program did not enroll to continue the second level of study in the
master’s. The student’s decision not to continue further levels of education
has brought consequences from programs shutting down due to lack of students
and forcing the university to spread out the few remaining students to other
programs. Objective: The purpose of the study was to explore the opinions of Midwifery
Students studying at the Bachelor level, regarding their professional future
and continuing education. Methodology: This is
a cross-sectional study. In this study are included the students of the
bachelor level of education. Student participating are studying Midwifery in
the 2022-2023 academic year, at the Faculty of Technical Medical Sciences at the
University of Medicine, Albania. Results: The students on average believe they can find a job
as a midwife. The career is relatively safe and the profession of midwifery
will ensure economic well-being for them. Most of the students hope to emigrate
and develop their professional career outside of Albania. This was a surprise given that most frequent answers
given by the students for not continuing their Master’s level education was the
fact that the program was not accredited, their Bachelor’s diploma was also not
accredited and so not recognized by other countries, the cost of continuing
their studies was too high and their desire for a better economic and social
status which they cannot get in Albania. The majority of students participating in the study identified
emigration as the main way they plan to further their studies. Conclusions and Recommendations: Although the students had willingly chosen to
continue the midwifery diploma, as they thought it would provide them with a
proper future, this dignified professional future was seen as unattainable in
Albania so they are seeking it out in more developed countries. A significant
number of health professionals prefer to continue their second cycle studies in
another country. The professional security within their home country does not
satisfy the students. As the market demand for nurses around the globe
escalates, the changes and consequences associated with nurse migration are
increasingly in need of policy solutions that will address the needs of all parties
involved.