Abstract

The Midwives Service Scheme (MSS) was implemented to reverse the poor trends in maternal mortality in Nigeria over the past decade. However, little is known about the acceptance of the scheme amongst nursing and midwifery students who are key to ensuring success of the program. The study assessed the awareness, knowledge, perception and willingness to participate in the Midwives Service Scheme in all nursing and midwifery schools in Oyo State, Nigeria. A cross sectional study of 361 final year nursing and midwifery students in Oyo State, Nigeria was conducted via total sampling technique. All consenting students were recruited to participate. Semi-structured self-administered questionnaires were employed to collect relevant information. Data was analyzed with descriptive statistics and association between respondents’ characteristics tested using Chi-square at 5% level of significance. Mean age of respondents was 24+4.3 years, 92.8% were female, 87.0% single and 83.4% Christians. Most preferred post basic nursing and midwifery careers reported were university degree nursing (43.4%) and psychiatry nursing (60.8%) respectively. Only 33.8% of the student nurses and midwives were aware of MSS among whom less than half (48.4%) correctly identified the objective of the scheme. Few (24.7%) reported a willingness to participate in the scheme.  Awareness of the existence of the scheme was significantly higher amongst the midwives compared to the nurses (X²=118.0; p<0.001) and in older participants compared to the younger ones (X²=11.3; p<0.001). Higher proportion of student midwives (X²=99.5; p<0.001) and participants >25 years (X²=14.18; p<0.001) were significantly more likely to participate in the scheme compared to their respective counterparts. Low level of awareness and willingness to participate in the scheme amongst graduating students in Southwestern Nigeria emphasizes the need for scaled up awareness campaigns to boost acceptance among these groups who are vital stakeholders in the effective implementation and sustenance of the scheme.

Key words: Midwives Service Scheme, nurses, midwives, maternal mortality.