Autonomy based on research

In 2019, I worked as a practice manager at a large midwifery practice.

I loved my job, but somewhere along the line, something didn't feel right anymore.

Back then, I asked if I could work from home more often.
They didn't want that—they wanted everyone present on the floor.
I understood, but it no longer matched my need for autonomy.

So I left.

Not after an argument. Not because it was a bad practice.
But because the way of working no longer aligned with how I could function best.

I went full-time self-employed, which eventually led to what Louwco is today.

As it turns out: autonomy is one of the main reasons for experienced midwives to stay.
Not salary. Not job security. But autonomy.

That was revealed in a study conducted among 984 Dutch midwives.

At the same time, the same study shows that a high administrative burden is significantly linked to the intention to leave the profession.

And that's while in 2023, 53% of midwives already indicated they wanted to quit the field.
Worrying.

These two findings are closely connected.

When you have little control over how you structure your work, everything weighs heavier.
Especially when extra responsibilities are added that you weren't necessarily born to do.

How I see it:

Autonomy isn't just a work style preference. It is a prerequisite for sustaining yourself.

That is precisely why we at Louwco help over a hundred midwifery practices gain more time and space—simply by taking tasks like billing off their hands.

Because every task that disappears from your plate gives space back.
Space for the profession. Space to decide how you organize it.

That was likely one of the reasons you started your own practice back in the day.

How much of that space and freedom do you still have left?

By Roos Blok. On behalf of: Autonomy based on research.