How to Become a Midwife in 5 Steps | EveryNurse.org (2024)

FAQs

What are the steps to midwifery? ›

Your midwifery training

Approved full-time midwifery degree courses last for three years. Half your time is spent studying at university and half gaining practical, supervised experience in a range of settings. If you are working in a relevant role, it's possible to take a part-time course lasting five or six years.

So, if you want to become a midwife without A Levels, the Access to Higher Education Midwifery course is perfect! The best thing about it? The Access to midwifery course can be completed in just one year! On average learndirect students who study an Access course complete their studies in 9-12 months.

You'll usually need: 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English, maths and science. 2 or 3 A levels, including a science, or a level 3 diploma or access to higher education in health, science or nursing. a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study.

The Access to Higher Education Diploma (Midwifery) is 100% online, so you won't have to spend hours of your day in a classroom. This makes the Access to midwifery course is ideal for anyone who wants to become a Midwife but hasn't currently got time to commit to full-time education.

Midwives have a passion for women's healthcare and want to extend their knowledge to their patients. A caring and compassionate person present at the time of such a scary time is most certainly welcome. You will be able to interact with patients in a way that most people don't.

But Midwifery is a demanding course, with long hours and high workload for three full years. Rest while you can. Treat yourself to a few extra hours' sleep and enjoy time off with friends and family while the time is there. There's plenty of time for study when September comes around.

The qualifications you'll need

To become a midwife you'll need a degree in midwifery, which takes three years to complete. If you're already a registered adult nurse, you can undertake a shorter course instead, which takes 18 months.

The entry criteria for midwifery courses and programmes are quite specific. Almost all universities will require a qualification in biology (or at least another science), to show your scientific ability. To show your compassion and understanding, qualifications in psychology or sociology, for example, would help.

Could midwifery be for you? If you are passionate about supporting women and birthing people through their journey of parenthood, including care and advice whilst they're pregnant and care afterwards. As well as advocating for them and providing holistic care based around their situation and circ*mstance – then do it!

What makes a good midwife? ›

A good midwife is personable, trustworthy, funny, well-informed, and someone new mothers can depend on in their times of need. Midwives are the main point of contact for expectant parents. They provide evidence-based information and advice that will help them navigate their pregnancy and prepare for motherhood.

The full-time working week is usually 37.5 hours and is likely to include day and night shifts, weekends and bank holidays. Community and independent midwives are regularly on call across 24 hours and you should expect to be part of an on-call rota at some point in your career.

Your fees are paid by the employing Trust's apprenticeship levy and you will be paid the equivalent of a maternity support worker for the duration of the course. You will emerge with the knowledge, understanding, skills and behaviours to practise as a registered midwife and register with the NMC.

Before you commit to anything, you need to make sure you meet the requirements to enrol on a midwifery degree. Required qualifications for midwifery in England, Northern Ireland and Wales include: Five GCSEs including English, Maths, and a Science (usually Biology or Human Biology) Two A Levels or equivalent.

Diploma in Midwifery is a two-year program consisting of general education and professional courses, which prepare students for entry-level midwifery competencies.

They're called Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNM) and have a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution as well as a certification from the American College of Nurse Midwives. Midwives are commonly certified as International Board Certified Lactation Consultants, with advanced knowledge on the breastfeeding process.

Ina May Gaskin (born March 8, 1940) is an American midwife who has been described as "the mother of authentic midwifery." She helped found the self-sustaining community, The Farm, with her husband Stephen Gaskin in 1971 where she markedly launched her career in midwifery.

school of midwifery

This 2-year direct entry program includes Clinical Practicum in Foundations of Midwifery, Normal Obstetrics and Care of the Newborn, Introduction to High Risk Obstetrics, Basic Care of Infants and Feeding, Basic Family Planning, Primary Health Care and Midwifery Ethics, Law and Practice.

What duties does a midwife have? ›

While they share many soft skills, a nurse and midwife often use different technical skills and knowledge. Midwives require extensive knowledge about labour and delivery methods. Nurses may use a variety of technical medical knowledge related to their specialisation.

General nursing is a much broader career pathway compared with midwifery. There are also many specialist areas in nursing including Diabetes Specialist, Oncology, Orthopaedic, Dialysis and dermatology, to name a few.

There are four of these books: 'Basics', 'Antenatal', 'Intrapartum' and 'Postnatal'. They're actually based on articles from 'The Practising Midwife' – which is a great journal focussed on actionable advice for midwives. They're evidence-based, reference the NMC, and are clear and easy.

While age isn't a factor, you need to make sure being a midwife is right for you before you apply to study midwifery courses. You wouldn't want to spend all that time completing a midwifery uni course to later find out the role isn't what you expected.

Ultimately, if an already-established midwife would like to undertake the extra training, they could most definitely become a gynaecologist or an Ob/Gyn. They would already have a good knowledge of the female reproductive system.

A midwife job can be either permanent, temporary or on the NHS bank, and either full or part time. Many midwives choose to work part time to fit in family or other commitments.

Midwives provide pre- and postnatal care to pregnant moms as well as attending births and offering breastfeeding and nutritional support. They tend to focus on low-risk, low-tech births for moms-to-be who want to try to avoid surgical intervention, epidurals, pain medications and/or drugs that induce labor.

Nursing Sciences

The department offers three midwifery programmes at undergraduate (Bsc Midwifery) and at post graduate level: Msc Midwifery and Women's Health and PhD Midwifery.

What type of midwife gets paid the most? ›

With their advanced education and skills, certified nurse midwives (CNMs) typically rank among the highest-paid nurses, with a median salary of $111,130, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

It outlines the values every nurse or midwife should work to, known as the 'six Cs'. This concept has caught the attention of caring staff everywhere. The six Cs – care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment – are the core elements of our vision.

A certified professional midwife who has attended more than 1,200 births, Ina May Gaskin is known as the “mother of authentic midwifery.”

Your sleep needs are golden. Many midwives on 8 hours shifts patterns power nap - not at work (pfft, if only), but to top up on sleep overall. Napping also helps you enjoy downtime between shifts.

An independent midwife is a self-employed, qualified nursing professional, who provide midwifery services in private hospital settings, health care units or at the home of the client.

monitoring and administering medication, injections and intravenous infusions during labour. monitoring the foetus during labour. advising about and supporting parents in the daily care of their newborn babies. helping parents to cope with miscarriage, termination, stillbirth and neonatal death.

Pass the Nurse-Midwife Certification (CNM) exam by the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB). Apply to become an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). Start practicing and continue education to retain your license.

We offer a range of nursing and midwifery courses through online learning. A number of these courses can be undertaken as stand-alone modules, to build upon your skills and expertise.

Is midwife a good profession? ›

Midwives are very dedicated to their career, and reap the rewards by helping to deliver babies safely. They get great satisfaction by helping a new mother give birth, especially when there are no complications and mother and baby are fine afterwards.

DMSFI Received 92.59% Passing Rate on the recent Midwifery Licensure Exam.

The most common types of midwives are listed below including the three professional U.S. midwifery credentials, Certified Professional Midwives (CPM), Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNM), and Certified Midwives (CM).

Diploma in Nursing | Diploma in Midwifery

Duration: 3 Years.

The average Certified Nurse Midwife salary in the United States is $117,534 as of October 27, 2022, but the range typically falls between $108,073 and $133,234.

No, a midwife is not a doctor. While licensed and certified midwives are highly trained, they cannot perform cesarean sections on their own. They can prescribe epidurals and labor-inducing drugs, but they are less likely to do so compared to doctors.

The word derives from Old English mid, "with", and wif, "woman", and thus originally meant "with-woman", that is, the person who is with the woman (mother) at childbirth. The word refers to midwives regardless of gender.

Having solid mathematical competency in arithmetic, algebra, unit conversion, measurement, and computation, is essential for nurses. When making up dosages of oral medications, injections, and intravenous infusions, accuracy is vital.

Your standard working week will be around 37.5 hours on shift pattern which can include nights, early starts, evenings, weekends and bank holidays.