Midwifery courses

What does a midwife do?
Midwives work in partnership with women and their families during pregnancy, birth, and the postnatal period. It is a career with a practical focus and midwives can work in various settings, including hospitals and community environments.

Is midwifery a rewarding job?
Midwifery is a very rewarding job as midwives support women and families during a very special time of their lives. But it is equally very demanding as midwives must be responsible and patient in their daily role to provide best and safe care.

What types of midwifery degrees do University of West London offer?
We have several options at UWL to study as a midwife, depending on your experience and prior education. Please see the list below of the degrees we offer:

• 3-year BMidwifery (Hons) degree – September and April cohorts. London and Berkshire sites.  

• 3-year MMidwifery degree - September and April cohorts. London and Berkshire sites. This Masters degree is offered to students who already have a degree qualification.  

• 3-year Midwifery Degree Apprenticeship – September and April cohorts. London and Berkshire sites. This degree course is offered to students who are already employed and supported by an affiliated NHS Trust. 

• 2-year MMidwifery (2 years Shortened course) - April cohorts only. London and Berkshire sites. This is a masters degree for nurses who already have an Adult nursing degree qualification and who are registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. 

Do all courses meet the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)requirements?
Yes, all our courses meet the NMC standards of practice.

Will I get automatic registration to be a midwife at the end of my studies?
Yes, all students who complete their midwifery degree at UWL will also be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

How likely am I to get a job at the end of my training?
UWL midwifery graduates are highly sought after by employers and many students choose to work as a midwife at the hospital they trained at.

What can a future career in midwifery look like?
Midwives can work in a range of settings and in various teams and midwifery jobs. Midwives may work in areas where the woman has both straightforward and complex care needs. They may work in a birth centre, labour ward, antenatal or postnatal ward, or the community.  Some midwives choose to specialise in areas which they are interested in such as HIV, diabetes and safeguarding.

There is always the opportunity for more studying in midwifery, so some midwives enter management, research, ultrasound, education or consultancy.

Why should I come to UWL to study midwifery?
Our wonderful students have rated UWL as the top modern university for overall student satisfaction in the 2022 National Student Survey (NSS) and in the three years preceding this. UWL has also ranked in the top 30 universities in the UK, ranking 23rd in the latest influential Guardian University Guide. 

Additionally, UWL was awarded full UNICEF Baby Friendly Status and was the first university in the UK to achieve this accreditation.

What does the Gold UNICEF Baby Friendly Status mean?
The Baby Friendly Initiative is designed to improve healthcare for babies, their mothers and families in the UK, as part of a wider global partnership between the World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef.

Gold UNICEF Baby Friendly Status means that the midwifery course and standard of midwifery teaching, meet UNICEF’s highest standards of infant feeding care.

By being Gold accredited, we enable our student midwives to better support families with feeding and developing close, loving parent-infant relationships, ensuring that all babies get the best possible start.

Will my teachers be active in the world of midwifery?
Yes, all of your lecturers are midwives who have worked in multiple areas of midwifery and across different settings. The midwifery team has been published in multiple textbooks and journals and additionally contributes to books such as Mayes’ and Myles Midwifery which you might have heard of.

What are the entry requirements to study midwifery?
Please refer to each course page on the website for the specific entry requirements needed for each type of midwifery degree. 

Generally, it is essential for any candidate who applies to have a satisfactory and up-to-date reference, a good understanding of the role of a midwife and course requirements and good communication skills. Candidates who have not studied in the UK will need an IELTS score of a minimum of 7.0 or an English Language GCSE of C/4 (or equivalent). 

It is preferable for candidates to have studied within the last five years, have some experience in a caring or voluntary role within a healthcare setting and have studied a relevant subject at Level 3.

How do I apply?
All candidates need to apply online via www.ucas.com unless you are an apprenticeship candidate. Apprenticeship and 2-year MMidwifery candidates will need to apply via their Trust.

Will I get an interview?
All applicants who meet the entry requirements will be offered an interview. If you have been successful at interview, you will be offered a place on the course.

What style of interviews do you do at UWL?
At UWL, we do online Values Based Recruitment.

What if I apply late or the course is full?
Once the course meets its maximum numbers, students will be offered the next available intake.

I want to apply to UWL, but I left a nursing/midwifery course at another university?
If you have previously been unsuccessful in a nursing or midwifery course at another institution, further information and support for your application will be required.

Do I have to pass any screening tests to study midwifery?
Yes, all candidates will need to have Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) screening and occupational health screening to ensure they are fit, healthy and fully immunised to protect yourself and those you are caring for.

Do I have to pay for my DBS and occupational health screening?
No, UWL will cover the costs of your DBS and all occupational health screening.

Where is the university?
To study midwifery, you will be based either at the Brentford Campus (Paragon House) or Reading Campus (Fountain House).

How will the course be structured?
At UWL all midwifery courses are full-time and require full-time commitment. Midwifery students will spend half their time in practice (on placement) and the other half at university.

How much time off will I have?
All fee-paying midwifery students will have seven weeks holiday per year. These weeks are fixed dates, provided by the university and hospital Trusts and will not follow standard university holidays.

Will I have time for a part-time job?
As the course is full-time and requires a full-time commitment, many students with pre-existing part-time jobs re-evaluate their other commitments to prioritise their degree and workload.   

What will I study each year?
We have an innovative evidence-based midwifery curriculum and heavily incorporate scenario-based learning based upon midwifery practice.  

Year 1 will be focused on normal midwifery practice, Year 2 will be built on this and focus on more complex pregnancy and childbirth. Year 3 will be a consolidation of your learning in years 2 + 3, and preparation for qualification.

What topics will be covered?
We integrate a diverse range of topics into our curriculum each year, including anatomy and physiology, public health, research, leadership, medicine management and personal wellbeing.

Will I be using the simulation suite?
Yes, we have a well-equipped simulation centre at both sites which features in many modules and sessions. It is an environment where students can safely practice clinical skills and enhance their learning. Some assessments will take place in the simulation centre as well.

How will I be assessed?
We acknowledge that each student is an individual learner and thrives in different assessment formats, therefore, we offer a range of different assessments in our curriculum. This includes OSCEs, medicine calculations, in-class quizzes, simulated scenarios, posters and presentations, literature reviews and evidence appraisals, VIVAs, case studies, practice assessments, unseen exams and a dissertation in your final year.

What if I miss theory days at university?
All students must meet the NMC hours requirements to progress each year and qualify as a midwife at the end of their training. This means that any missed lessons need to be made up within a specific time frame.

Missing university days will also have a direct impact on your success in completing and passing assessments.

Do I need to pass all my assessments?
Yes, to continue and progress on your degree, all students need to pass each assessment.

How will I learn in practice?
All students will spend 50% of their degree in practice during which you will work alongside midwives to experience 24-hour care.

Will I have to work during weekends?
Yes, as a student you will work the same hours as the midwife you are working with. This includes long shifts during unsocial hours and nightshifts, being on call, weekends and bank holidays.

How many hours will I work in practice?
The Nursing and Midwifery Council requirement is that all students work 2,300 hours to progress to registration as a midwife. On average, this is 35 hours a week during each practice week. As a fee-paying student, you will not receive any payment for this.

What if I miss some practice days?
All students must meet the Nursing and Midwifery Council hours requirements to progress each year and qualify as a midwife at the end of their training. This means that any missed shifts need to be made up within a specific time frame.

Will my study/practice schedules be in blocks?
Yes, you will have alternating blocks (usually a few weeks at a time) of theory and practice. During your practice blocks, you may have assessments to work on so your time management and organisation will be vital, to be successful in your studies.

Will I be directly working with women and their families?
Yes, as part of your training in the community and hospital you will be caring for women and their families in the antenatal, intrapartum (labour) and postnatal period which will include neonatal and infant feeding care. You will also have a ‘non’ midwifery placement if you are doing the 3-year course.

Will I be seen as a professional while on the course?
Yes, professionalism is a big part of your role as a student midwife and you must meet professional values such as care, compassion, courage, communication, commitment, and competence. This is a basic requirement for any student or qualified midwife and starts from day one.

How many babies will I need to deliver to qualify?
As per the Nursing and Midwifery Council, all student midwives meet a certain standard of experience and proficiencies. Amongst other things, this includes assisting with the birth of 40 babies and completing 100 antenatal, postnatal and neonatal examinations.  

Will I get a uniform to wear on placement?
Yes, as a student you will be provided with two UWL tunic sets and two scrub sets of uniform. These are to be worn on placement and in the simulation centre.  

All students must follow NHS Trust and UWL uniform policy.

Which hospital will I be based at?
We link with several hospitals in North-West London and Reading.

The London hospitals we link with are:

• West Middlesex Hospital in Isleworth  

• Hillingdon Hospital in Hillingdon 

• Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow  

• Queen Charlottes Hospital in Acton (April only)

• St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington (April only)

The Reading hospitals we link with are:

• Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading

• Wexham Park Hospital in Slough  

• Frimley Park Hospital in Frimley (April only) 

Will I be at one hospital for all my training?
Not necessarily. You will have one main hospital where you will base most of your practice placement However, you will have a secondary hospital you will visit for some time to gain insight into a different setting.

Can I choose the hospitals where I do my placement?
No, the placement team will allocate all students to their placement hospital and there are no requests or guarantees for where you will be placed. Allocations are based on student’s home addresses but in order to be fair and considerate to all students, some may not be placed at the closest hospital to home.

So, should I be prepared to go to any of the hospitals?
Yes, you should be prepared to commute to any hospital UWL links within your respective area. This means you need to check your commute is safe and feasible to do before and after a long shift, during the weekend or on bank holidays. Bear in mind midwives often work a few shifts back-to-back so your commute needs to be reasonable for you to be able to do this.

Will I be supported throughout my studies?
Yes, at UWL we offer a range of support services for our midwifery students. Each student will have a personal tutor at university as well as multiple lecturers to support them. In practice, students will have a midwife whom they work with daily (practice supervisor), a midwife who regularly meets with them (practice assessor), a team of midwives overseeing all students (clinical practice facilitators) and a link lecturer from the university who regularly visits.

UWL has a vast network of support aside from the midwifery and practice teams, this includes study support, student services, a wellbeing team, and the student union including MidSoc.

Most importantly of all, you will have your peers who you start your midwifery journey with. As a group, you will support each other through rewarding and challenging times.

Can I have a part-time job during my three years as a student midwife?
Studying for a midwifery degree is a full-time commitment which will allow for limited time to work outside of your placement and theory hours. We stress that your university theory and placement workload take priority however, we acknowledge that with the increased cost of living many students will need to have a part-time job.