Midwifery - BSc(Hons)

Why study BSc(Hons) Midwifery?

Midwives are autonomous practitioners providing care and support to women and their families during pregnancy, birth and the early postnatal period. Often working as part of a multidisciplinary professional team, and always in partnership with women, midwives practise in birth units, community and hospital settings, providing leadership and advocacy to ensure women have a positive experience of childbirth. This dynamic, demanding and privileged role carries great responsibility but is incredibly rewarding. The course at UWE will prepare you for a career in midwifery by enabling you to develop the knowledge, skills and values to practise confidently, competently and compassionately so that you consistently offer the highest quality midwifery care.

Why study our course?

Accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), BSc (Hons) Midwifery leads to professional registration as a midwife with the NMC. Our dynamic curriculum has been designed in collaboration with practice partners and maternity service-users to provide an authentic, woman-centred, learning experience which will cement your understanding of the role of the midwife and provide you with a strong sense of professional identity. The programme supports you to gain knowledge and understanding of good midwifery practice and to develop the critical thinking and leadership skills required to evaluate evidence and practice and to move the service forward. In addition, you will develop strong interpersonal and inter-professional skills to enable you to work in a team with women, their families and healthcare professionals from other disciplines. Midwifery-orientated, optional modules offer the chance to enhance employability in maternity settings through developing additional knowledge and skills. With fully integrated work-based learning and outstanding onsite simulation facilities, you will be taught by an enthusiastic, supportive team with a breadth and depth of experience as practising midwives.

Real-world experience

The course has a strong practice focus and you will spend around 50% of your time learning in clinical placement with the support of teams of midwifery mentors. You will undertake placements in midwifery-led birth units, hospital and community settings where you will care for women from diverse social and cultural backgrounds and you will gain experience of midwifery caseload holding. The theory element of the programme utilises enquiry-based learning. This involves exploring real-world scenarios and case studies in small groups, where your learning will be enhanced by seminars, tutorials, skills sessions and simulation both in our purpose built simulation suites and birth room and in hospital settings with medical students. Throughout your course, you will engage with service-users, practising midwives, researchers and other healthcare professionals in placements, in class and through online learning.