Perceived job demands and resources of newly qualified midwives working in primary care settings in the Netherlands | 37 our study, psychological demands appear similar to other occupations / professions in that high levels of focus and concentration is needed for the job. Concerning job resources, some of our findings are similar to other studies. For instance, providing care for clients, birthing experiences at home,16,17and support from colleagues, 1,15,17 are mentioned in studies on NQMs. Support from peers, which Dutch NQMs perceive as very important, was not previously reported in other studies on NQMs.1,15,17 In our study, peers are experienced as safe and trustworthy sources of support. Peers are seen as a resource for debriefing and for discussions on decisions rather than more experienced colleagues. The urge for peer support seemed less of a factor in other countries, where mentorship is available for NQMs.1,7 Our study found that colleagues and working as a team were very important job resources, similar findings to studies on other occupations in the Netherlands.20 Furthermore, financial rewards as job resource show also similarity with our results.20 Work and organizational resources shows differences between our study on NQMs and other occupations in the Netherlands. For instance, clear targets and roles, and alignment within the organization were not mentioned in our study. The JD-R model as a theoretical framework is widely applied to different occupations,20 and health professions.21,28 To our knowledge, this model has never been used in studies on NQMs. By using the JD-R model, we identified personal characteristics which can be a resource or demand for NQMs and added personal characteristics to research on NQMs. Being firm with one’s own boundaries, being assertive, but also being flexible and adaptable helped Dutch NQMs to balance their workload and to collaborate with other practitioners in maternity care. Dutch NQMs mentioned humour and a sense of perspective as important personal resources. Compared to previous studies on NQ health professionals, we believe we have found similar results. Worrying about their professional performance and not being able to stop thinking about their work as characteristic behaviours for NQMs might be similar to the neuroticism among junior doctors as described by Teunissen & Westerman.24 Mastenbroek et al.,21 in their studies on junior veterinarians, found that extraversion was an important personal resource, in addition to self-efficacy and conscientiousness. The first finding seems similar to the findings of our study, whereby assertiveness, self-confidence and humour were identified as personal resources – factors which can be associated with extraversion.
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