A survey of e-mentoring among New Zealand midwives.
Mentoring is a strategy that may assist the midwifery profession to support new graduates and midwives working in rural and remote areas. We conducted a survey of 1,577 New Zealand midwives about their opinions and experiences of mentoring. The questionnaire comprised 33 questions, nine of which were open questions. There was a 44% response rate. While the telephone was commonly utilized by mentors (37%) and mentored midwives (37%), the Internet and email played only a small part. Participants acknowledged the potential of these avenues for communication, but midwives felt that mentoring could be provided only by immediate, face-to-face contact. Nevertheless, e-mentoring could be a viable option and requires further investigation. About one-third of midwives identified geographical isolation as a barrier to being a mentor (38%) and being mentored (36%). The use of e-mentoring could remove the barrier of location and allow the midwife to chose a mentor who meets her needs, rather than because she is the only mentor available.
Stewart
Sarah
S
Centre for Online Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. sarahs@tekotago.ac.nz
Wootton
Richard
R
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000379:methods*; D034742:Electronic Mail; D006801:Humans; D008611:Mentors; D008880:Midwifery / Q000193:education* / Q000458:organization & administration; D009520:New Zealand; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires