Introduction. Sense of coherence as a general life-orientation, gives a man convinced of the predictability of the reality around us, on a reasonable basis and it is made of three elements correlated with each other, which are the sense of comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness. Working as a midwife is very stressful and burdensome in terms of physical as well as mental health. Different perception of difficult situations, including employment, is associated with varying resistance to stress. Dealing with the stress situation determines the achievement of objectives and career success and is a guarantee of professional autonomy.

Aim of the study. The aim of this study is to determine the level of sense of coherence and its components, the sense of comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness, as well as stress resistance indicator and the correlation between them among midwives on managerial positions, midwives working on the ward and future midwives.

Material and methods. The research was conducted in a group of 80 midwives and midwifery students of the Medical University of Gdansk. For the purpose of the study there were used method of analysis and criticism of the literature and the method of diagnostic survey using questionnaire techniques. The tools that have been applied in the study were life orientation questionnaire SOC-29, self-esteem questionnaire of stress resistance Dz and author’s questionnaire.

Results and conclusions. Sense of coherence, its components and resistance to stress are different for managing midwives, midwives working on the ward and the midwifery students. Education of midwives going towards creating a strong sense of coherence and increasing the stress resistance is needed, as it could positively influence the professional autonomy.