Hospital practice in COVID-19 times: perceptions of the midwifery interns in Peru

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the perception of midwifery interns regarding hospital practices during COVID-19. Material and methods Study of qualitative approach, of phenomenological design, where 80 midwifery interns from the different regions of Peru participated, who are also representatives of their hospital headquarters. An in-depth interview was applied where the perception of hospital practices was addressed according to: i) current problems and ii) solution proposals. Results Midwifery interns have been removed from hospital practices, mainly due to the absence of personal protective equipment and health insurance, financially affecting those who must continue to make rent and food payments; Likewise, a large part of the universities have not offered proposals for solutions to the delay in internships, raising concerns about delays in administrative procedures, even more so for students from non-licensed universities. Among the proposals, those who are close to graduating suggest being exempted from the months when there were no activities, so as not to delay future processes such as tuition and rural service; likewise, suspend payment for these months and strengthen knowledge through the discussion of clinical cases, which could be virtual. Conclusions The cessation of hospital practice responds to a lack of guarantees in the health care of the student, generating economic repercussions and a negative perception regarding university management. Finally, solutions that could be considered for the next decisions made by the institutions are reported.