You'll study for a degree in midwifery.
Full-time courses usually take 3 years.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 2 to 3 A levels for a degree
Midwife
Midwives support pregnant women and their babies before, during and after, childbirth.
Average salary (a year)
£23,023 Starter
to£43,041 Experienced
Typical hours (a week)
35 to 40 a week
You could work
evenings / weekends / bank holidays on shifts
How to become a Midwife
You can get into this job through:
- a university degree
- a conversion course if you're a registered adult nurse
University
Other routes
If you're a registered adult nurse you may be able to qualify through a conversion course. These usually take between 18 and 24 months.
More information
Registration
you'll need to register with the Nursing & Midwifery Council
Career tips
Previous experience (paid or unpaid) of working in a caring role would be useful. You could contact the voluntary services coordinator or manager at your local NHS trust for further advice. Visit NHS for a list of NHS trusts.
Further information
The Royal College of Midwives and Health Careers have more information about midwifery.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- knowledge of medicine and dentistry
- sensitivity and understanding
- knowledge of psychology
- customer service skills
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- counselling skills including active listening and a non-judgemental approach
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- Being able to use a computer terminal or hand-held device may be beneficial for this job.
Restrictions and requirements
You'll need to:
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
In this role you could be:
- giving pregnant women advice on issues like healthy eating
- explaining options like giving birth in hospital or at home
- running classes about pregnancy (antenatal) and parenting
- checking the health of mother and baby during pregnancy
- checking progress when labour starts
- monitoring the baby during labour
- giving pain relief or advising on ways to manage pain
- delivering the baby
- calling a doctor if you notice any problems
- give advice to families on caring for their baby
- visit people's homes to check on mother and baby
Working environment
You could work at a client's home, at a health centre, at a GP practice or in an NHS or private hospital.
Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding.
You may need to wear a uniform.
Career path and progression
You must renew your Nursing & Midwifery Council registration every 3 years to show you're keeping your skills up to date.
You could take further training to specialise in areas like ultrasound or neonatal care.
With experience, you could become a ward manager or team leader.
You could also train to become a health visitor, a director of midwifery or midwifery consultant.
Training opportunities
Apprenticeships In England
We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for a Midwife right now.
The Find an apprenticeship service can help you with your search, send alerts when new apprenticeships become available and has advice on how to apply.
Courses In England
Access to Midwifery
- Provider: DUDLEY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
- Start date: 03 September 2019
- Location: Dudley
Access to Midwifery Level 3
- Provider: Kensington and Chelsea College
- Start date: 12 September 2019
- Location: London