Comparison of the academic satisfaction of MSc students of midwifery education with counselling in midwifery courses and job satisfaction of graduates of two courses, Iran 2020: a cross-sectional study

In order to improve the quality of university services and adopt appropriate educational policies, continuous monitoring is essential. The purpose of this study was to compare the academic satisfaction of students in two fields of midwifery education and counseling in midwifery and job satisfaction of graduates of two fields.

In the comparative-analytical cross-sectional study, by complete enumeration survey method, 300 students and graduates of the master’s degree consisted of 150 midwifery education graduates and student, and 150 counseling in midwifery graduates and students from the region 2 of the country's health (Tabriz, Urmia and Ardabil Universities of Medical Sciences) entered the study in 2020-2021. Data collection tools were questionnaires of demographic characteristics, Minnesota job satisfaction and educational satisfaction. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software version 21 .

The mean (standard deviation:SD) of the overall score of academic satisfaction of counseling students in midwifery was 129.3 (17.7) from the range of 0-205 and that of the midwifery education was 126.7 (17.7) from the range of 0-205 (P>0.05). The mean (SD) job satisfaction of counseling in midwifery graduates was 56.0 (9.6) and that of the midwifery education was 57.9 (9.5) from the range of 0-95. Job satisfaction rate of majority of midwifery education graduates (49.3%) was very good, whereas it was moderate (58.7%) in counseling graduates,(P>0.05). The mean (SD) score of satisfaction with the payment system (P=0.035) and job conditions (P=0.015) in midwifery education graduates was significantly higher.

There was no significant difference between students in the two courses in terms of academic satisfaction. The job satisfaction of the graduates of counseling in midwifery was significantly low in terms of payment system and job conditions, in comparision to midwifery education.