MIDIRS Practice Development > Becoming a midwife

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So you want to be a midwife?

Originally posted on 10/26/2009

Contemporary midwifery involves providing maternity care to a wide and diverse range of women, their babies, partners and families.

The women with whom midwives come into daily contact will be of different ages, cultural backgrounds, socio-economic circumstances, and will have varying care needs and expectations. With advances in scientific medicine and technology, the profile of women accessing UK maternity services is also changing. Increasingly, women with complex social issues (eg asylum seekers/refugees, pregnant adolescents and those with substance misuse problems) are requiring both midwifery and specialist care and support. Similarly, women with underlying medical conditions are entering into pregnancy, where in past years this would have not been an option for them. Midwives are therefore required to act as skilled, independent practitioners, but equally, need to be able to work alongside a wide range of multi-professional health care practitioners. Midwives are also integral to ensuring that women receive the information and support they need to make the right choices for them and their baby, although at times, these choices may be significantly limited by the woman’s individual circumstances.

If these challenges and the potential rewards of being a midwife appeal to you and you are considering a career in midwifery the following information should be helpful to you. This material applies to individuals who are interested in undertaking midwifery education programmes in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

About this resource

This resource provides information on the following:

• The role of the midwife
• Who can be a midwife?
• What are the qualities needed to become a midwife?
• Entry requirements to midwifery degree courses
• Midwifery education - academic and clinical course content
• Preparation for application on a pre-registration midwifery programme
• Financial support while you are at university
• Application forms and the interview process
• Post-registration career development

At the end of the resource is a section that provides additional information and resources, which can help to increase your understanding and awareness. Some of these have been used to compile this information; others are well known resources used within midwifery practice and education.

Vicky Carne

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