164 | Chapter 7 to provide support based on the needs of NQMs and to offer them a range of components of support. The stakeholders felt that the profession as a whole should be responsible for mentoring and coaching. While the stakeholders felt that a stable workplace, which implicates a period of a year whereby a NQM work in one region, was applicable in practice. They did not reach consensus regarding its level of importance. Nor did they reach consensus on longer-term (> 3 months) employment commitments for NQMs, on importance or on applicability. The stakeholders also felt that it is the academies’ responsibility to prepare undergraduates for professional practice. No consensus was achieved concerning modifications to the curriculum with regard to alternative placement arrangements. Socialisation within the organisation/practice We will consider four different components of the socialisation process within the organisation. 23 As stated in the theoretical model, organisational socialisation enables newcomers to use these components to help them adapt to their new role. Firstly, they need fellow midwives at the workplace, secondly NQMs need around-the-clock backup, thirdly they need feedback on their performance and fourthly they need a stable working environment. With regard to the first component, the stakeholders agreed on the importance of providing NQMs with support in the workplace. However, previous studies on NQMs show that NQMs lack sufficient support and that – in both hospital- and community-based settings – they spend insufficient time collaborating with fellow midwives.2,3 Previous studies have also showed that NQMs need fellow midwives as role models and for purposes of consultation.2,3,7,26 The stakeholders in this study recognised NQMs’ needs. In their remarks on this statement, they indicated that formal consultation meetings with the teams might be one way of meeting these needs. The midwifery profession as a whole might be willing to provide support in the context of existing collaborative meetings, from an organisational standpoint. From the NQMs’ point of view, this might not provide the support they need. This finding appeared to resemble the findings of previous studies into newcomers in independent practices.27 Newcomers reported that working as a locum and therefor engaging with multiple sites led to inadequate opportunities to access meaningful long-term clinical relationships. Furthermore, organisational socialisation in professional practice needs more tailoring, to meet the organisation’s needs and those of the newcomers.23 The second socialisation component concerns around-the-clock backup from fellow midwives in professional practice. The stakeholders agreed on the importance of backup for NQMs. However, they only considered backup to be applicable if responsibility for
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