Overview
Midwifery is a rewarding career. As a registered midwife you will be in the unique position to provide personalised care to women and their families from conception, antenatally, during labour to the postnatal period. This privilege can make a positive societal impact.
As a skilled and competent practitioner you will support women to make decisions about their care within a multidisciplinary team using research and evidence-based knowledge to maintain safety and respect.
Our course prepares you for this challenging role using a student-centred approach of problem based learning which fosters complex decision making and teamwork. This develops your autonomy to apply twenty-first century thinking to clinical practice whilst becoming an innovative and dynamic registered midwife.
Our students, with the support of excellent midwife lecturers and mentors, develop the competencies and essential skills mandated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council thus providing them with assured employability as a midwife.
Professional accreditation
This course is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as the statutory body and regulator of nursing and midwifery healthcare professions.
Bradford don’t want to put you in a mould, they’d rather build a mould around you. They're not trying to mass produce us into the same type of midwife - you’re the midwife you want to be.
Placement
As 50% of your time as a student midwife is practice based, we have selected quality placements that will support your progression towards registration as a midwife.
We have secured placements at Bradford, Airedale, Harrogate and Mid-Yorks Hospital Trusts, where you will gain experience in a wide variety of areas to achieve the competencies required of a midwife.
Each year will consist of two ten-week placements where you will be supported by mentors to achieve your clinical skills and NMC competencies.
During your placements you will also have the opportunity to work with specialist practitioners, antenatal clinics, theatres, neonatal units and maternity assessment centres, as well as experience in areas of your own choosing.
At the end of year 2 you will have the option of a 60 hour elective placement of your own choosing, either in the UK or abroad.
Year 1
- 10 weeks Antenatal / postnatal ward
- 10 weeks Community
Year 2
- 10 weeks Labour ward / birth centre (normal birth focus)
- 10 weeks Labour ward (complex birth focus)
Year 3
- 5 weeks Antenatal/postnatal ward
- 5 weeks Community
- 10 weeks Case loading experience
Learning and assessment
The curriculum is based on the principles of active and collaborative learning, underpinned by the educational philosophy inherent in problem-based learning. Students are integral to learning situations that are participatory and collaborative.
A variety of workshops will introduce you to simulation, using creative media for example film making and games using play to enhance learning. e-Portfolios will be used to support you in documenting personal, academic and clinical learning gains and development throughout the programme, building skills in critical reflection, action planning and self-evaluation.
You will examine perspectives of women’s health in a national and international context, and be introduced students to core principles in the use of literature, social, cultural, psychological and ethical concepts, providing you with the early skills you need to work under the direct guidance of the midwife. You will gain an understanding of the rationale for support provided to women; the focus will be on
the local community and key health and well-being priorities.
Your practice skills will be underpinned by key lectures and workshops that integrate anatomy, physiology and sociological concepts. At the early stage of the degree you will be supported by series of underpinning study skills and learning activities, that will also develop your critical appraisal and IT skills, and individual self-awareness and resilience.
As the programme progresses independent learning is increased; new study skills related to research interpretation, along with learning activities and authentic scenarios bring together more complex concepts. Your focus will move to take on a national perspective of health and wellbeing and societal issues for women and their families. Key lectures and workshops will develop your confidence in decision making within midwifery situations, including care for women with increasingly complex needs.
In your final year you will be supported in applying your skills and knowledge to a critical review of a global aspect of maternal well-being in order to identify areas for potential practice development. Theoretical concepts of leadership and change management will add depth to your study, and you will explore complex clinical and global maternal health issues.
Practice placements will enable you to progress from indirect supervision to long arm supervision during the case loading placement, demonstrating sound decision-making and leadership skills. The theoretical weeks will vary from 35 – 40 hours per week and the practice weeks between 35 and 38 hours per week. Clinical placement is supported by your allocation to an NMC sign-off mentor (NMC 2008). You may also be allocated a co-mentor to facilitate learning opportunities.
Whilst you will have a minimum of 300 hours for each module with your assessed placement, there is a requirement that all students must complete 4600 hours by the end of the programme and therefore each year students will attend other learning environments for additional experiences. Students will also have support from a link lecturer via the Ongoing Record of Achievement (ORA), email and link lecturer placement visits.
Assessment complies with NMC requirements for pre-registration midwifery programmes (Nursing and
Midwifery Council. 2009). It addresses the need to assess knowledge, understanding and skill and their application in midwifery practice. The assessment strategy also reflects the need to ensure that the programme produces midwives who are safe in practice and fit for academic award.
Assessment methods include:
- ipsative multiple choice questions (MCQ)
- a synoptic assessment
- presentations
- written assignment and critical writing
The mentor for the placement assesses clinical practice, with competency demonstrated through actively engaging in the care of women and their families. You are required to provide evidence of your learning in their ORA. The mentor verifies this information by undertaking a final placement interview, which includes grading of practice. You are assessed against stage specific criterion that reflects your learning throughout each practice placement. Only mentors who meet the requirements for sign-off status and are on the mentor register assess students (NMC, 2008).
Study support
You will be allocated a Personal Academic Tutor who will provide you with pastoral and academic support throughout your time with us.
University central services are rich with support teams to assist students with every aspect of their journey through our degree programmes. From our Career and Employability Service, through our strong Students' Union, to our professional and efficient Student Finance team, there are always friendly faces ready to support you and provide you with the answers that you need.
Our Virtual Learning Environment allows students to access resources, participate in group work and submit work from anywhere in the world 24/7.
Research
All our midwifery lecturers pursue research interests which enhances the knowledge base from which you can draw.
Our research may be education or practice based and serves to improve your experience. We are keen to share our learning with you.