Midwives provide care and support to women and their families while pregnant, throughout labour and during the period after a baby’s birth.
Working life
You’ll mainly deal with pregnant women requiring professional support and advice. You are likely to be the lead health professional and contact for a woman, providing evidence-based information and helping her make informed choices about the options and services available throughout her pregnancy.
You’ll be the expert on childbirth and your responsibilities are likely to be diverse. You’ll provide:
- provide full antenatal care, including parenting classes, clinical examinations and screening
- identify high-risk pregnancies
- monitor women and support them during labour and the birthing process
- teach new and expectant mothers how to feed, care for and bathe their babies
You could be working with women from a variety of backgrounds and you will need to be confident enough to communicate with different people. Some women and their families might be homeless, socially excluded, have disabilities or be very young. Other clients may be from certain cultural or religious backgrounds.
All women will need you to understand the emotional, physical and psychological processes of pregnancy and birth. Sometimes pregnancies do not go to plan and you will need to offer support and advice on stillbirth, miscarriage, termination, neonatal death and neonatal abnormalities.
If you are working as a community midwife, you are likely to develop good professional relationships with your families, which can make counselling easier at difficult times.
Eleri Bates
Midwife
Experiencing the birth of a baby as part of your day job is incredible.
Entry requirements
To become a midwife you’ll need to train and study for an undergraduate degree or postgraduate degree or diploma, or secure a place on a midwifery degree apprenticeship. Entry requirements vary depending on where you’d like to study or work. However, they usually look for a minimum of:
- five GCSEs at grade 9-4/C or above - typically including English language or literature and a science subject
- and either two or three A-levels or equivalent qualifications such asGNVQ advanced level or NVQ level 3
A degree standard apprenticeship in midwifery is also available. To get onto a degree apprenticeship, you will need to apply for an apprentice position with a healthcare provider.
Must have skills
Don’t forget - academic qualifications aren’t everything.Excellent communication and people skills are crucial as you'll need to answer questions and offer advice. You must be happy to work as part of a team and be able to deal with emotionally charged situations. You'll need to also have an interest in the physical, psychological and process of pregnancy and birth
Annual payments
If you're eligible, you'll be entitled to receive at least £5,000 a year towards your studies while at university. Your personal circ*mstances may mean you could receive more. And the good news? You'll never have to pay it back.Find out more.
Pay and benefits
Your standard working week will be around 37.5 hours on shift pattern which can include nights, early starts, evenings, weekends and bank holidays. As a midwife, you’ll be paid on theAgenda for Change (AFC) pay system, typically starting at band 5.There are opportunities to progress to positions at band 6 as a team manager and to midwife consultant at bands 8b-8c.
You’ll also have access to our generous pension scheme and health service discounts, as well as 27 days of annual leave plus bank holidays.
Where will I work?
Midwifery services are increasingly moving from hospitals to the community, so where you work could reflect this. Antenatal care in the community is provided in women’s homes, local clinics, children’s centres and GP surgeries. It can also be provided in hospitals where you may work in triage and assessment areas, high and low risk labour, postnatal wards and neonatal units. Care during labour is provided in a mother’s home, as well as midwifery led maternity units.
You’ll work with a range of other professionals including gynaecologists, GPs, health visitors,neonatal nurses and maternity support workers.
Training and career development
You'll need to be committed to learning and always keeping their skills and knowledge up to date.Once you havequalified as a midwife,there are a wide range of opportunities. You may want to undertake further training and become a health visitor or move into management, teaching orclinical research.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 93 matches
Midwifery (Pre-Registration) (Postgraduate Entry)
University of Plymouth
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- Qualification
- MSc
- Study mode
- Full-time
- Duration of the course
- 3 Years
- Leading to a career in
- Midwifery
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- Contact details
- [emailprotected]
- +44 (0) 1752 585858
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- Region
- South West
- Admissions address
- Drake Circus
Plymouth
PL4 8AA
United Kingdom
Midwifery (Shortened) (Postgraduate Entry)
University of Plymouth
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- Qualification
- MSc
- Study mode
- Full-time
- Duration of the course
- 2 Years
- Leading to a career in
- Midwifery
-
- Contact details
- [emailprotected]
- +44 (0) 1752 585858
-
- Region
- South West
- Admissions address
- Drake Circus
Plymouth
PL4 8AA
United Kingdom
Midwifery Studies
Northumbria University, Newcastle
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- Qualification
- Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
- Study mode
- Full-time
- Duration of the course
- 3 Years
- Leading to a career in
- Midwifery
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- Contact details
- [emailprotected]
- 0191 406 0901
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- Region
- North East
- Admissions address
- Sutherland Building
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8ST
United Kingdom
Midwifery
City, University of London
View courseOpens in a new window
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- Qualification
- Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
- Study mode
- Full-time
- Duration of the course
- 3 Years
- Leading to a career in
- Midwifery
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- Contact details
- 020 7040 8716
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- Region
- London
- Admissions address
- The Admissions Office
Northampton Square
London
EC1V 0HB
United Kingdom
Midwifery
University of Hertfordshire
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- Qualification
- Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
- Study mode
- Full-time
- Duration of the course
- 3 Years
- Leading to a career in
- Midwifery
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- Contact details
- 01707 284800
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- Region
- East of England
- Admissions address
- University Admissions Service
College Lane
Hatfield
AL10 9AB
United Kingdom
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Other roles that may interest you
The field of midwifery is a multifaceted domain, encapsulating comprehensive care for expectant mothers, support during childbirth, and postnatal guidance. Drawing from my expertise in this area, I'd like to shed light on the various aspects mentioned in the provided article.
Midwifery Scope: Midwives play a pivotal role in supporting pregnant women and their families. Their responsibilities encompass a wide array of tasks:
- Antenatal Care: Providing holistic care during pregnancy, including clinical examinations, screenings, and parenting classes.
- High-Risk Pregnancy Identification: Recognizing and managing high-risk pregnancies to ensure appropriate care.
- Labour and Birthing Support: Monitoring women during labor, offering guidance, and providing physical and emotional support through the birthing process.
- Postnatal Guidance: Educating new and expectant mothers on baby care, including feeding, hygiene, and general nurturing.
- Diverse Clientele: Engaging with women from various backgrounds, including those facing social challenges, disabilities, or specific cultural/religious contexts.
Emotional Support: Midwives must navigate delicate situations, offering counsel and advice on complex issues such as stillbirth, miscarriage, neonatal death, and abnormalities, necessitating a nuanced understanding of emotional, physical, and psychological aspects.
Qualifications and Skills: Becoming a midwife involves rigorous training. Entry requirements typically include academic qualifications like GCSEs and A-levels or equivalent, alongside indispensable skills such as excellent communication, teamwork, emotional resilience, and a profound interest in the processes of pregnancy and childbirth.
Career and Work Environment: Midwives work within diverse settings, from hospitals to community-based care. The shift towards community-based services indicates the varied locations where midwives operate, such as homes, clinics, children's centers, and hospitals. Collaboration with a spectrum of professionals, including gynecologists, nurses, and health visitors, is common.
Education and Advancement: Upon qualification, midwives have opportunities for career development, branching into roles like health visiting, management, teaching, or clinical research, emphasizing the necessity of continual learning and skill enhancement.
Education Programs: Several universities offer programs like Bachelor of Science (with Honors), postgraduate degrees, and apprenticeships specializing in midwifery. Some notable institutions include the University of Plymouth, Northumbria University, City University of London, and the University of Hertfordshire.
Overall, the journey to becoming a proficient midwife involves not just academic prowess but also a deep sense of empathy, adaptability, and continuous learning to provide exceptional care throughout the delicate phases of pregnancy, childbirth, and postnatal care.
