From leadership research to district action: Building faculty capacity for competency-based midwifery education in Rwanda - a cross-sectional study

AI-assisted editorial implementation guide. Proposed district actions are separate from the original authors’ findings and recommendations. Independent peer review of this guide is not asserted.

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Evidence and transfer

Education-related source: verify which participants, institutions and outcomes were actually studied before district adoption. Source publication type: research-article. License and identity checks do not establish study quality or causality.

Original authors’ abstract, reproduced under the source license:

Background Competency-based education is globally recognized as the standard for preparing midwives to provide high-quality, evidence-based care. In 2024, Rwanda introduced a standardized, competency-based curriculum for midwifery education aligned with the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) Essential Competencies. However, the successful implementation of this curriculum depends on the capacity of midwifery educators to deliver it effectively. Understanding faculty development needs is essential for supporting this transition. Aim To identify the specific faculty development needs of midwifery educators in Rwanda to inform strategies for strengthening their capacity to deliver competency-based education. Method A cross-sectional mixed-methods study was conducted in December 2024 using an anonymous online survey. The survey was conducted immediately following the curriculum introduction. Midwifery faculty from all eight institutions offering midwifery education in Rwanda were invited to participate. The survey included Likert-scale and open-ended questions to assess training needs across various educational domains. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative responses were textually analysed. Results A total of 48 out of 60 midwifery educators responded. The highest reported needs were in curriculum design and module development (79%), scientific writing (79%), management and leadership (79%), and research skills (77%). Capacity needs were also noted in clinical teaching, particularly using simulation (66%), and in the clinical environment (77%). Faculty expressed preferences for faculty development programs using blended learning with predominantly face-to-face components, and they favored intensive, short-term training formats. Conclusion Midwifery faculty in Rwanda expressed strong needs for capacity development across education, leadership, and research domains. These findings highlight the importance of targeted, context-specific faculty development initiatives. Given the shared challenges across low-resource settings, the findings may be transferable to similar contexts aiming to develop faculty development programs aligned with global standards.

Study methods

This study employed a cross-sectional design with a mixed-methods approach [16]. Midwifery faculty from the eight midwifery programs in Rwanda participated. Data were collected through an online survey. The survey combined closed-ended items, including a 10-point Likert scale, with optional open-text responses. This allowed for both quantitative measurement of faculty training needs across key areas (e.g., curriculum design, simulation, clinical teaching, research, leadership) and qualitative elaboration to capture contextual nuances and practical challenges. The integration of these complementary data sources provided both breadth and depth, thereby justifying a mixed-methods approach. The study received ethical approval from the Rwanda National Ethics Committee (ID: RNEC 591/24).

Limitations

A key strength of this study is its broad institutional representation, capturing perspectives from faculty across all eight midwifery education institutions in Rwanda. This inclusivity provides valuable insight into faculty development needs at a critical time of curriculum reform and national health workforce expansion. The use of a validated and contextually adapted survey tool [18] also enhances the relevance and credibility of the findings.

A 90-day district inquiry

Days 1–15 · Appraise. Read the source methods, recruitment, comparator, outcomes and limitations. Record how the study setting differs from your district and which claim the design can support.
Days 16–30 · Design. Choose one school improvement question with teachers. Protect a short shared planning cycle, agree an instructional change and use a common rubric for examining student work. Agree participation, privacy protections, baseline and stopping rules before starting.
Days 31–60 · Observe. Collect the pre-agreed measures, keep a log of implementation changes and invite confidential voluntary feedback. Preserve existing support for staff and learners.
Days 61–90 · Decide. Review implementation fidelity, teacher time and independently scored student work against a recorded baseline. Examine access differences and competing explanations before attributing changes to leadership. Make a dated decision to stop, revise or extend the inquiry.

Board decision brief

Present the local problem, source setting, evidence limits, intervention, responsible owner, total cost, measured changes and uncertainty. Separate staff perceptions, implementation measures and student learning outcomes.

Attribution and reuse

Malin Bogren; Menelas Nkeshimana; Frida Temple; Marie Claire Iryanyawera; Darlene Ineza; Innocent Nzabahimana; Peninah Ingabire; Jean de Dieu Uwimana; Renata Tallarico; Olugbemiga Adelakin; Kerstin Erlandsson. Building faculty capacity for competency-based midwifery education in Rwanda - a cross-sectional study. BMC Medical Education (2025-10-02). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-08034-5

Prepared 2026-11-07. Source authorship and DOI are preserved. The abstract and source passages are attributed extracts; this editorial guide is offered under the same CC BY 4.0 license.