WORKING AS A COORDINATOR MIDWIFE IN A TERTIARY ...

Two coordinators knew what they wanted to share from the commencement of their
interviews and needed little prompting. Another had documented the things she wanted to
share during the interview, talked freely and used her notes as a check list at the end of
the interview to make sure she had spoken about everything that was important to her.
Two participants revealed a relaxed style and quietly reflected with a level of humour in
their interviews. One other participant had prepared for what she wanted to share and
requested I put the tape back on after I thought the interview was complete as there was
more she wanted to talk about.
Despite the initial time before the interview that was spent creating the right ambiance
and achieving a relaxed feeling, it was interesting that after the interviews had been
completed, participants tended to continue to talk about their experiences and I found
myself wishing the tape was still on. But I left the option to each participant to request
this be done, which only happened on one occasion. This revealed my ‘beginners level’
of skill in relation to phenomenological research interview techniques.
Interviewing participants was a privilege as I listened to stories and participants recalled
experiences which were important to them. I marveled at the similarity in themes which
emerged and the diversity and the complexity of coordinators’ roles. Stories appeared to
be told with energy and passion and time flew by.
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