Violence in Midwifery Training: Why We Need to Talk About the Daily Life and Bullying of Midwifery Students in Hospitals

"I love this profession. But I'm worried." These words are a clear cry for help against structural violence in midwifery training. When aspiring midwives anonymously report their experiences, it becomes clear: the daily hospital routine for midwifery students is often characterized by pressure that exceeds psychological limits. Today, we are breaking the silence about bullying in midwifery training.

We urgently need new talent in obstetrics. But how do we treat those who choose this path? The following report shows that passion for the profession often breaks down due to toxic hierarchies and lack of support.

⚠️ WARNING: This experience cannot be generalized to the entire midwifery program and other study locations.

Here is the report in its original wording:

The Introduction I am a midwifery student. I love this profession. But I'm worried. What I experience in my training frightens me. Not the birth itself, but the system. This is an anonymous report from within our training.

The Reality We witness women's boundaries being crossed during childbirth. And afterward, it's simply dismissed with, "That's just how it is here." Sometimes, it even has discriminatory or racist characteristics. We see it. We stand by. And we feel powerless.

The Power & The Pressure Because precisely the people who say or do such things decide our future. They teach us, evaluate us, and in the end, write whether we are suitable – or not. And at the same time, we are expected to perform: shift work, exams, presentations, papers. And please: Don't break down. Don't be too tired. Don't seem overwhelmed.

The Phrases That Stick We give our all every day. But when we're at our limit, all we hear is: "Why are you so exhausted?" And mistakes? We're not really allowed to make them. At the slightest uncertainty, we hear this phrase that feels like a judgment: "And you want to be a midwife?" How are we supposed to learn empathy if we don't experience any?

The Demand We see all of this. We know all of this. But knowledge alone is not enough. There needs to be a rethink, even among those who demand so much from us. For safe birthing spaces, we also need safe learning spaces. We are the future of this profession. And we demand change. Now.

A System at its Limit: Stopping Violence in Midwifery Training

This report is shocking. It reveals a spiral of oppression that begins where protection and care should actually prevail. When aspiring midwives have to witness women's boundaries being disregarded during childbirth, and this is dismissed with a shrug, we are talking about institutionalized violence in midwifery training.

For the personal post on Insta: Bullying in Midwifery Training and Structural Violence in Hospital Everyday Life: Midwifery Student Speaks Out