Midwifery

This degree in midwifery has been developed against the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards of Proficiency for Midwives (2019) and has been developed to equip you, as part of the next generation of midwives, with the knowledge, skills and values to deliver world-class, evidence-based care for women, babies and their families.

Our contemporary approach to teaching and learning includes a wide variety of online, classroom and simulation-based activities as well as clinical placements at an NHS Trust maternity unit.

As a mark of our professional excellence, we hold the prestigious Gold Award accreditation by UNICEF’s Baby Friendly Initiative.

What you'll study

The duration of this midwifery course is three years and has been developed with input from students, service users and our NHS partners to provide you with the academic and professional qualifications you need to be eligible to register with the NMC as a midwife.

Throughout the course, there is a strong emphasis on childbirth as a normal physiological process, and you will gain a sound understanding of the role of the midwife and the foundations of midwifery care. As you progress through the course, you will develop and apply your knowledge to a variety of contexts. You will learn how to:

• recognise and manage a range of complex and emergency situations
• engage with current research and apply evidence to your practice
• work as a professional, both on your own and as part of the interdisciplinary team
• be a kind, caring and compassionate midwife who can take the lead in providing women with the best care possible in a safe, supportive environment.

You will be encouraged to work independently, as well as with peers and colleagues, to develop team-working, negotiation, communication and organisational skills.

You will spend an equal amount of time in blocks of theory and clinical practice. The theoretical element of the course is delivered through a range of teaching and learning approaches, including online and face-to-face lectures, group tutorials, one-to-one learning opportunities, classroom activities, practical skills, simulation-based learning, and online and guided independent study.

The University's learning platform, UWLFlex, has been developed to provide you with a personalised and supported learning experience. You will also keep an online portfolio to record and track your progress throughout the course.

Student support is very important to us, and we will ensure the right conditions are in place to meet your learning needs, including access to high-quality learning materials and resources.

Midwifery course placement partners

The NMC requires all students to have a minimum of 2,300 hours of practice experience over the 3 years to be eligible to register as a midwife. At UWL, you will have 22 planned practice placement weeks each year to meet this requirement.

You will be placed with one of our partner NHS Trusts for practice placements, but also be required to gain experience across different NHS Trusts/organisations during the 3 years of the course. Your placements will be based upon available placement capacity within each organisation. Therefore, before you start the course, it is important to consider the practicalities of travelling to any one of our placement partners.

Whilst on placement, you will be fully supported by link lecturers from the University and clinical placement facilitators at the maternity unit you are placed in. You will follow the shift patterns of the midwives you work with.

Kindly refer to our website for information on our placement partners.