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CONTENTS

1. Routes to becoming a midwife

2. Skills required

3. Finding work experience

4. How to get a job as a midwife

5. What it's like to be a midwife

Routes to becoming a midwife

A midwife is a healthcare professional who cares for parents and babies during pre-birth, birth and post-birth.

All midwives must have completed a degree or course recognised by the (NMC). This then allows them to apply for registration with the NMC. Midwives must be compassionate and caring, have lots of practical experience along with scientific knowledge and aptitude.

Undergraduate degrees

Undergraduate Midwifery courses last three to four years when studied full time, five to six if part time. There are two bachelor's options that lead to professional work as a midwife:

• BSc Midwifery – a mixture of theoretical teaching at university and supervised practical experiences in midwife-led units
• BSc Nursing – also a mixture of teaching and practical work, but with broader nursing training and opportunities to specialise. You then take a pre-registration course (see below)

Degree apprenticeships

Degree apprenticeships in Midwifery teach you to be a midwife on the job, while you also attend university to earn a bachelor's degree. You're paid for your work and spend less time at university than on a standard undergraduate degree.

To apply for a Midwifery degree apprenticeship, you have to go through the healthcare employer that you'll work with.

Fast track pre-registration programmes

If you already have a bachelor's degree in Nursing and are registered with the NMC, you can take the short pre-registration Midwifery programme. It lasts 80 weeks, and you graduate with a degree in Midwifery.

The course has a blend of theoretical teaching at university and supervised practical experiences in midwife-led units. Go directly to the university offering the programme to apply.

Postgraduate degrees

If you have an undergraduate degree in Nursing, you can take a fast-track pre-registration programme (see above).

If your degree is in a different subject, you can choose a postgraduate certificate, postgraduate diploma or master's degree in Midwifery. You might not need a healthcare-related degree to be eligible, but you will need to demonstrate a strong interest in the area, along with lots of relevant practical experience.

Skills required

Skills that you'll need to be a successful midwife include:

• Ability to work quickly and calmly in challenging situations
• Organisation and time management
• Social and cultural sensitivity
• Communication and interpersonal skills
• Emotional resilience
• Patience and compassion
• Observation and initiative

Finding work experience

Work experience isn't mandatory for undergraduate degree courses. However, Midwifery is often highly competitive, so work experience may help your university application. You'll definitely need work experience for a professional role (but you'll gain this during your degree course).

Places where you could shadow a midwife, volunteer or find work experience include:

• Local maternity units or hospitals
• Mother and baby groups
• NCT or breastfeeding support groups
• Children's centres
• Birth centres

Securing work experience in a midwife-led unit can be difficult as they are often very busy and understaffed. Other places to gain work experience for your university application could be in a different clinical setting, or an environment where you work and communicate with different people.

How to get a job as a midwife

You can register as a practitioner with the NMC after you've successfully completed an approved degree. Then you can apply for professional midwifery roles. As a newly qualified midwife, you'll receive support and supervision during your first few months of the job.

Work opportunities are usually posted online on job boards like and .

You can take further training and become a specialist in areas such as home birthing, neonatal intensive care, diabetes or perinatal mental health. You could also work in management, clinical research or education.

What's it like to be a midwife?

Midwives mostly work in hospital maternity units, other dedicated maternity units, birth centres, group practices, GP surgeries, children's centres, in the community and at parents' homes.

You'll work with other midwives and healthcare professionals such as gynaecologists, anaesthetists and neonatal nurses.

Daily tasks vary but usually involve:

• Providing antenatal care such as clinical examinations
• Monitoring and supporting people who will be giving birth
• Giving care during labour, monitoring the fetus and deploying medicines for pain management
• Teaching parents how to care for their babies
• Developing individual care programmes
• Providing advice before and after examinations
• Offering counselling and advice for issues such as miscarriage and termination
• Identifying high-risk pregnancies and making referrals to appropriate medical specialists

After qualifying, you'll have Continuing Professional Development (CPD) meetings where you discuss future career goals and keep your skills and knowledge up to date.

A working week is typically 37.5 hours and you'll likely have to work nights and weekends. Salaries for midwives are on the Agenda for Change system (the NHS staff grading and pay scale), usually on band 5 with opportunities for growth. You'll also have access to generous pension schemes, holiday allowances and health service discounts with the NHS.

Is a role as a midwife right for you?

Midwives have a lot of responsibility. They're looked to as experts on all things related to pregnancy and childbirth. The role can be mentally and physically challenging; you'll be on your feet and involved in difficult situations such as bereavement and abuse.

However, most midwives are devoted to their work. They get a lot of satisfaction from being able to help parents and bring new babies safely into the world.