'Just a Midwife': A qualitative study on perceived barriers and facilitators facing Filipino midwifery students in reaching ICM standards.

Background: The Philippines is struggling to lower its maternal mortality rate and while midwives are nationally recognized as autonomous maternal health care providers, research suggests they may not receive adequate training or support to fulfill their functions.

Aim: To gain deeper understanding of the lived experiences of student midwives in the Philippines with the intent to make recommendations that may assist midwifery programs to meet international standards for midwifery education.

Method: A qualitative research project with a realist constructivist approach, using semistructured interviews to explore perceived barriers and facilitators of a group of Filipino student midwives in achieving International Confederation of Midwives' standards during training.