BSc (Hons) Midwifery (156 Weeks)
A midwife requires mental agility, intellectual capacity, emotional and physical stamina, commitment and dedication to delivering quality care to women and to the whole family unit. Bringing a new life into the world is one of the most rewarding, emotional experiences a person can have.
Of course, midwifery is more than just delivering babies.
The role of the midwife
Among other things you will need to:
- Support the mother and her family throughout the whole childbearing process
- Carry out clinical examinations
- Provide health and parenting education
- Work in partnership with other health and social care services
- Be aware of the social and cultural context in which childbirth occurs
Midwives need to be confident enough to communicate with all types of people from all walks of life. Midwives work in a variety of places: Maternity Units in large general hospitals, smaller, midwifery-led unit, private maternity hospitals, group practices, birth centres and in the community.
As a midwife, you will be the main health professional contact for a woman, helping her make informed choices about the options and services available during pregnancy.
Midwifery is not a nine-to-five job. Neither is being a student midwife:
- You will be expected to work shifts, even while you are training
- You don’t get long holiday breaks, our course works on the basis of 7 weeks annual leave per year
- Considerable travelling is required for hospital and community placements
Midwifery at a glance
- To become a midwife you will need to take a recognised qualification leading to registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
- This three year, full-time degree course aimed at those with no previous nursing experience
- If you are a UK or EU national, and qualify for home-student status, your fees will be paid for you by the NHS. You may also be eligible for a means-tested bursary and a student loan to help with living expenses .
- The course starts in September and you can apply through UCAS
"At times the demands of the course have seemed unachievable and I encountered emotions such as fear, self-doubt, euphoria, which I did not know were inside me. But, in all honesty, I would not have changed any of it."
During this degree, you will be given a comprehensive grounding in the theory and practice elements required for you to be registered with the NMC. That means you'll spend about half your time at the University and the other half working the clinical area or community with one of 6 NHS hospitals:
- Royal Bolton Hospital
- Royal Oldham Hospital
- Rochdale Infirmary
- Hope Hospital, Salford
- Fairfield General Hospital, Bury
- Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, Wigan
While you are at the Trust, you will work with a fully qualified midwife mentor who will ensure that you gain the clinical experience required.
The academic part of the course is delivered using a variety of methods such as lectures, tutorials and skills sessions. Assessment not only emphasises the recall of knowledge but higher level abilities such as critical analysis, evaluation, synthesis and problem-solving. Methods of academic assessment include exams and essays as well as a viva in the final year.
Throughout the course, you will become familiar with Problem-Based Learning (PBL):
- This challenges students to “learn to learn”, working co-operatively in groups to seek solutions to real world problems
- It engages students and initiates learning of midwifery problems
- It prepares students to think critically and analytically and to find and use appropriate learning resources
From novice to competent practitioner - the student midwife journey
You will use your time in the clinical area to become a competent practioner, that is someone who has the skill and ability to practice safely and effectively without the need for direct supervision. This will involve gaining the minimum clinical experience to meet the requirements of the NMC and includes:
- Advising of pregnant women, involving at least 100 pre-natal examinations
- Supervision and care of at least 40 women in labour
- At least 40 deliveries personally carried out
- Supervision and care of 40 women at risk in pregnancy or labour or post-natal period
- Care of women with pathological conditions in the field of gynaecology and obstetrics
To show that you are meeting the NMC competencies, you will be expected to keep a portfolio of evidence which will include documentation signed by your midwife mentor as well as reflections on your time as a student.
The midwifery team at Salford
We are passionate and committed educators who believe in providing the best support to our students. We have excellent facilities and provide a challenging environment that is guaranteed to build your confidence and sharpen your skills from the moment you start with us.
Throughout the course you will have access to staff who are experts in their fields as well as input from midwives who are in current practice.
Many of our staff are involved in research with the Centre for Nursing, Midwifery and Collaborative Research and regularly present at national and international conferences.
Learning Clinical Skills
Our clinical skills sessions give you the chance to learn what to do in a safe and supportive environment.
- Simulators to measure arterial blood pressure ensure you develop basic competance and confidance prior to their first placement in the clinical area
- We have new mannequins to support the development of skills needed to give injections and intravenous fluids and perform procedures such as venepuncture and cannulation
Birthing simulators are used to ensure you understand the mechanisms involved in labour and birth and have an opportunity to simulate a birth and explore relevant issues and feelings in a non-clinical environment. Breech births and mechanisms for Occipto posterior positions can also be demonstrated with these simulators.
Models to simulate urethral catheterisation and cervical assessment also aim to develop initial competence to ensure confidance prior to undertaking the skills with mentor support in clinical practice.
We also have breast feeding mannikins to promote understanding of lactation and procedures such as hand expression of milk are available and are part of the measures in place to ensure our students are educated in line with Unicefs baby friendly initiative.
Virtual learning
You will have access to our Virtual Learning Environment, Blackboard, which will provide you with course materials, lecture notes and offers the opportunity to share information with staff and other students. You will be able to access Blackboard at the University, at home and also in the clinical area.
"My knowledge, confidence, self-esteem and assertiveness have developed immensely and I have a whole new outlook on life with different values, attitudes and beliefs."
