title: Navigating the self in maternity care: how Chinese midwives work on their professional identity in hospital setting.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to explore the strategies Chinese midwives employed to work on their professional identity in hospital setting and the consequence of such identity work.
  
  
  METHODS
  this paper draws upon findings from a Constructivist Grounded Theory study that explored the professional identity construction of 15 Chinese midwives with a mixture of midwifery experiences, practising in three different types of hospital settings in a capital city in Southeast China. The accounts from participants in the form of in-depth individual interviews were collected. Work journals voluntarily provided by three participants were also included.
  
  
  RESULTS
  in everyday practice, hospital midwives in China were working on their professional identity in relation to two definitions of the midwife: the external definition ('obstetric nurse'), bound up in the idea of risk management under the medical model of their work organisations; and the internal definition ('professional midwife'), associated with the philosophy of normal birth advocacy in the professional discourse. Six strategies for identity work were identified and grouped into two principle categories: 'compromise' and 'engagement'. The adoption of each strategy involved a constant negotiation between the external and internal definitions of the midwife, being influenced by midwifery experiences, relationships with women, opportunities for professional development and the definition of the situation. A 'hybrid identity', which demonstrated the dynamic nature of midwifery professional identity, was constructed as a result.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  this paper explored the dynamic nature of midwifery professional identity. This exploration contributes to the body of knowledge regarding understanding the professional identity of hospital midwives in China, while also extending the current theoretical knowledge of identity work by elaborating on the various strategies individuals use to work on their professional identity in the workplace.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Hangzhou Normal University, No 16, Xue Lin St, Xia Sha District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 300036, China. Electronic address: zj_617@163.com.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Nursing Studies, School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh, Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK.
authors.forename: Elaine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Haycock-Stuart
authors.affiliation: Nursing Studies, School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh, Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK.
authors.forename: Rosemary
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mander
authors.affiliation: School of Education, University of Edinburgh, Old Moray House, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8 8AQ, UK.
authors.forename: Lorna
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hamilton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008880:Midwifery / Q000458:organization & administration; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000379:methods*; D009775:Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration; D011247:Pregnancy; D017009:Professional Autonomy; D024382:Professional Role / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research
keywords: China; Hospital-based midwives; Identity crisis; Identity work; Medical dominance; Midwifery discourse