Overview
Midwives play a pivotal role in supporting the health and wellbeing of women and their families during all stages of pregnancy, childbirth and the early postnatal period. Midwives often describe their role preparing women for the delivery of new life as 'privileged'.
Becoming a midwife means undertaking professional education at degree level such as this course. Some midwives are qualified nurses who have chosen to change career direction and undertake the extra study necessary to be registered as a midwife. Others begin their career by working their way up via support roles, such as starting as a maternity support worker, before going on to study for a midwifery degree later.
This course is designed to enable you to become a caring, compassionate midwife able to deliver high quality care and make a substantial contribution to the health of women and their families. From the outset, you’ll have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience under the supervision of an experienced midwife, who will also support you to manage a small caseload during the course. You will be encouraged to develop the clinical and care skills to become a professionally competent midwife who can soundly analyse a woman’s needs, plan an appropriate programme of care and then implement it safely, effectively and sensitively.
See the facilities available in our brand new Alison Gingell Building.
Why Coventry University?
An award-winning university, we are committed to providing our students with the best possible experience. We continue to invest in both our facilities and our innovative approach to education. Our students benefit from industry-relevant teaching, and resources and support designed to help them succeed. These range from our modern library and computing facilities to dedicated careers advice and our impressive Students’ Union activities.
To ensure an optimised and continual student experience, the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via emerging online technologies and methods across all courses.
Global ready
An international outlook, with global opportunitiesEmployability
Career-ready graduates, with the skills to succeedTeaching Excellence
Taught by lecturers who are experts in their fieldCourse essentials
A degree which offers you more, at no extra costAccreditation and Professional Recognition
This course is accredited and recognised by the following body:
Nursing and Midwifery Council
The course is currently accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Currently, Coventry University also has UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) accreditation.
If the accreditation of this course changes, we will notify applicants and students as soon as possible.
Our Facilities
Mock Operating Theatre
Our Alison Gingell building includes a full-size mock operating theatre, containing scrub sinks and theatre lights. We also have a mock hospital ward so that we can study a complete patient pathway.
Ambulance
Our facilities include a mock ambulance, which students can use as part of their studies, to help simulate the patient journey. This gives students the opportunity to learn in situations that mirror real life scenarios.
Hospital Wards
We have two fully-equipped mock hospital wards, each containing 4 beds. The wards are built to NHS standards and contain moveable beds, first aid equipment and patient monitoring tools.
What our students say
The team are so supportive! Regular meetings with a personal tutor allow you to address any challenges you’re facing and they will help you in whatever way they can. Lectures are interactive and support is available if you require it at any time.
Course information
As a midwife, you will care for childbearing women and families in a changing society and, as such, this course aims to provide you with the knowledge and skills relating to contemporary midwifery practice.
In modern health and social care settings nursing and midwifery students are increasingly required to work towards becoming autonomous practitioners, taking a leadership role in decisions regarding care within multi-professional settings. They routinely have the most frequent and intense contact with pregnant woman and their families and must be competent in recognising changes in the maternal condition so that appropriate action can be taken.
You will have the opportunity to study a wide range of subjects, including anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, psychology, sociology and research methods. This course will give you the opportunity to become immersed in learning about the needs of populations, individuals, related health and nursing services with an emphasis on using research to enhance and improve services. This is an integrated course where theory and practice are undertaken simultaneously. As the course progresses the amount of time you will spend in clinical practice will increase.
The collaborative modules have been developed in response to the need to produce professionals who are effective communicators, caring and compassionate, with good relationship building skills. They recognise the importance of inter-professional working within the health and social care workforce and comprises five core modules in the areas of: the foundations of communication and professionalism; the social determinants of health and wellbeing; evidence informed practice and decision making; working together to lead service improvement; and enhancing practice through evaluation and research.
The course comprises a combination of theory modules (which do not comprise practice placements and are taught within the university), practice modules (which are conducted in clinical placements) and theory/practice modules (that are part taught in the university and identified days are spent developing skills within the clinical placements). All placements are sourced for you by the university.
- In year One the ratio is 46% Practice to 54% Theory
- In year Two the ratio is 57% Practice and 43% Theory
- In year Three the ratio is 65% Practice and 35% Theory
We constantly review the course content and teaching to ensure we reflect the latest developments in the field and comply with the requirements for Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) accreditation. Where required by the NMC for accreditation, the course content may need to change and students will be notified of any such changes as soon as is reasonably practicable.
Course Specification
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Modules
We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.
Our Nursing and Midwifery courses are ranked 4th in the UK by The Guardian University Guide 2020
In more detail...
Helping mothers bring new life into the world must surely be one of the most rewarding professions and a shortage of midwives in the NHS in England alone means that now more than ever they are in great demand.
While there are lots of opportunities for midwives to work on antenatal, labour and postnatal wards and neonatal units in hospitals, midwives can spend a large proportion of their time in the community, providing services in women's homes, local clinics, children's centres and GP surgeries.
This course aims to prepare you for the dynamic and fast changing health and social care system, and to develop you into an adaptable, flexible, reflective, competent and compassionate practitioner. A key benefit of our curriculum is the notion of collaboration across all areas of health and social care: some modules are studied in conjunction with other health and social care professionals; looking at specific issues and challenges they face to broaden your knowledge and expertise.
We emphasise a problem-solving approach, reinforced by the capacity to evaluate the best possible outcome and reflect upon personal performance. You will be encouraged to place the mother, baby and family at the centre of care and will operate flexibly as a member of the wider inter-professional team.
To help increase your employability, the course also incorporates the theory component of the Newborn Infant Physical Examination (NIPE), which delivers the content specific for the knowledge and skills required to cover the NHS Antenatal and New-born Screening Programme as required by the National Screening Committee.
- Fully accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) providing eligibility to apply for registration to practice on successful completion.
- Use of our extensive simulation facilities – from basic life support manikins to high tech simulation dummies which emulate patient responses. You will also have opportunities to use equipment found in the real world of practice, such as medical devices to assist with all elements of care and especially medication administration.
- Nursing and Midwifery at Coventry is ranked 4th in the Guardian University Guide 2020.
- Outstanding track record of employability – 100% of BSc Midwifery students were in work in graduate roles six months after graduating.
- Well established placements for midwifery students in Coventry and Warwickshire at the George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust.
- £Multimillion state-of-the-art Alison Gingell Building provides facilities for teaching and research, featuring an operating theatre, critical care settings, community housing and other real life nursing and midwifery environments relevant to practice.
- There are also opportunities to undertake a range of interesting fieldtrips, including King’s Gordon Museum of pathology in London which is one of the largest pathology museums in the world (such field trips may be subject to an additional fee and are arranged by the Coventry University midwifery team. Places are not limited).
- Midwifery practice: Aims to develop the professional values, attitudes and behaviours required to deliver safe and effective, holistic women-centred care. You’ll have the opportunity to cover the key concepts of midwifery practice and factors influencing care, for example, Better Births (NHS England 2016) and you’ll also have opportunities to develop clinical skills which underpin these care factors through practice in the simulation suites.
- Evidence informed practice and decision making: Explores the principles and strategies of Evidence Informed Practice (EIP) to help enable you to apply, creatively, a wide range of sources of evidence for clinical decision making. You will be introduced to research perspectives (methodology and design), audit, health policy, and service user participation as methods to evaluate your EIP plans and interventions.
- Communications and professionalism: Communication is highlighted as an essential skill for all health care professionals because it impacts on patient satisfaction. You will have the opportunity to develop the key professional attributes incorporating the six ‘C’s model of communication, commitment, courage, care, competence, compassion.
This course uses a wide variety of approaches to teaching and learning to suit individual learning styles. This includes a series of interactive lectures with associated seminars, skills lab activities and practical placements. All modules are mandatory to enable you to demonstrate the knowledge, values and skills to be able to work within integrated care settings and enhance the delivery of care for service users, their families and carers after successfully completing the course.
The course is underpinned by an approach to professional care which is characterised by empathy, respect, dignity and kindness towards women and their families. We will encourage you to develop an in-depth understanding of the organisation and culture of modern health care systems, which should provide you with the confidence to be able to take a stronger role in the leadership and management of resources in delivering treatment and healthcare options to patients.
You will be introduced to the practice of midwifery in the midwifery skills laboratory and subsequently by working under direct supervision of a midwifery learning supervisor in community and hospital settings, in which you will have the opportunity to experience the 24/7 nature of midwifery care. Placements in non-midwifery areas and the opportunity to work in midwifery triage areas, early pregnancy assessment units and day assessment units are included from year two. You will also have the opportunity to undertake a clinical placement in a local Neonatal and Intensive Care Unit.
Placements are sourced for students by Coventry University and do not require additional fees or application processes to be made. However you may incur additional costs, such as travel, associated with your placement.
This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will could vary depending upon the module but may include: Essays and reports, Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE), Presentations, online tests, mock interview, Triad and Dyad in clinical practice and a literature review. You will also be assessed within practice placements.
Coventry University aims to ensure that our courses are fairly assessed and endeavours to monitor your progression towards the achieving the intended learning outcomes.
The primary aim of this course is to enable you to be a high quality and confident midwife. On successful completion of this course, you will have knowledge of:
- The theoretical basis of midwifery practice to meet the NMC competencies, essential skills clusters and EU activities of a midwife.
- The implications of current legislation, professional regulation, standards of performance and the NMC Code.
- Current developments in midwifery and the biological, physiological, pharmacological, psychological and sociological knowledge related to childbearing.
On successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Plan, implement and monitor midwifery care, involving service users and carers.
- Evaluate and revise expected outcomes, midwifery interventions and priorities in accordance with changes in the individual’s condition, needs or circumstances.
- Demonstrate effective individual and team leadership skills and apply quality monitoring initiatives.
- Discuss service user and carer needs in respect of equity, fairness, antidiscrimination, rights, values, customs, culture, beliefs, sensitivity, diversity, lifestyle and environment.
- Utilise and disseminate current research findings and other forms of evidence that underpin midwifery practice.
- Transfer knowledge and skills to a variety of settings and adapt practice to meet varying, unpredictable and complex circumstances.
- Seek clinical supervision to develop safe and effective midwifery practice.
- Critically evaluate relevant research, possible interventions and the most up-to-date technology to support quality care delivery.
- Critically analyse situations and incidents through reflective practice activities.
- Plan, implement and monitor midwifery care, involving service users and carers.
- Evaluate and revise expected outcomes, midwifery interventions and priorities in accordance with changes in the individual’s condition, needs or circumstances.
- Demonstrate a range of essential midwifery skills and seek supervision to develop safe, compassionate, skilful and autonomous midwifery practice.
- Consult with service users and carers to identify and respond to their need and desire for health promotion advice, education, support and the development of services.
- Co-ordinate the delivery of midwifery and healthcare within one’s sphere of professional accountability, including people with complex and co-existing needs.
- Provide safe and effective immediate care to women and their families.
As this is a full-time modular course, you are expected to allocate 40 hours per week to your learning, including up to 16 hours of teaching contact, including lectures, practical workshops online sessions and seminars. In addition there will be self-directed study and reflection and 24 hours clinical practice.
Self-directed study provides time to undertake assessments, prepare for upcoming lectures and access tutorial support.
You will engage in a module entitled International Perspectives in Midwifery and have the opportunity to explore international midwifery practice by examining the role of the midwife alongside global variations in maternal and infant mortality. Socio-political and cultural differences among developed and developing countries are examined with their impact on childbirth outcomes. International strategies for promoting health and safe motherhood, including the Sustainable Development Goals, are also examined.
A two-week elective placement is incorporated into the courses. You may opt to experience maternity services abroad within Europe or beyond – typically one to two weeks’ duration (places may be limited and such opportunities may subject to successful application, additional costs and meeting any applicable visa requirements). You will be expected to share your experiences with fellow students, and also benefit from the experiences of other students who have studied elsewhere.
During placements you will have the opportunity to provide care for women and families from a wide range of backgrounds. This first-hand experience enables you to set midwifery within a broad cultural context.
Global ready
Did you know we help more students travel internationally than any other UK university according to data from the experts in higher education data and analysis, HESA?
In 2018/19, we were able to provide a total of 5,469 experiences abroad that lasted at least five days.
Much of this travel is made possible through our Global Leaders Programme, which enables students to prepare for the challenges of the global employment market, as well as strengthening and developing their broader personal and professional skills.
Explore our international experiences1st for
international experiences
Sending more students overseas than any other UK uni 2016/17
5,469
Student experiences
The number of student trips abroad for at least 5 days in 2018/19
12,000
and counting
The number of students we’ve helped travel internationally since 2016
12
global programmes
As well as trips, we offer other opportunities like language courses
Patient testimonial
I wanted to pass on some feedback regarding one of the student midwives who looked after me, Chloe, who I believe is a second year student. What can I say, she was absolutely brilliant.
Chloe always made sure I was ok when observing and made sure I understood everything, answering any questions I had.
She was a kind, calm, patient, knowledgeable, polite, caring, professional and just lovely. She made a massive difference to me and my time in hospital. She will be a really super midwife (she already is really!) and I am grateful to have had her care.
Entry Requirements
Patient testimonial
I wanted to pass on some feedback regarding one of the student midwives who looked after me, Chloe, who I believe is a second year student. What can I say, she was absolutely brilliant.
Chloe always made sure I was ok when observing and made sure I understood everything, answering any questions I had.
She was a kind, calm, patient, knowledgeable, polite, caring, professional and just lovely. She made a massive difference to me and my time in hospital. She will be a really super midwife (she already is really!) and I am grateful to have had her care.
Tuition Fees
We pride ourselves on offering competitive tuition fees which we review on an annual basis and offer a wide range of scholarships to support students with their studies. Course fees are calculated on the basis of what it costs to teach each course and we aim for total financial transparency.
For more information, please visit our Finance pages.
Course essentials at no extra cost
We're committed to communicating study costs clearly to make sure you're not faced with having to make any unexpected payments.
This is why our ‘Flying Start’ package provides you with a few course essentials. Your full-time fee for an undergraduate degree will cover the following:
UK field trips
Any mandatory site visits and trips within the United Kingdom.Key material
This can include core textbooks, software and equipment.Laser prints
1,000 A4 sides of black and white laser printing credits per year.Optional year
Pay no tuition fees for optional work placements or study abroad trips.This course may incur additional costs associated with any field trips, placements or work experience, study abroad opportunities or any other opportunity (whether required or optional), which could include (but is not limited to) travel, accommodation, activities and visas.
EU student fees
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year remain eligible for the same fees as home students and the same financial support. Financial support comes from Student Finance England, and covers undergraduate and postgraduate study for the duration of their course, providing they meet the residency requirement.
For tuition fee loans
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year must have resided in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland for the three years prior to the start of their course. The purpose of that three year residency should not have been mainly for the purpose of receiving full time education.
For maintenance loans
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year must have resided in the UK and Islands for the five years prior to the start of their course. The purpose of that five year residency should not have been mainly for the purpose of receiving full time education.
Patient testimonial
I wanted to pass on some feedback regarding one of the student midwives who looked after me, Chloe, who I believe is a second year student. What can I say, she was absolutely brilliant.
Chloe always made sure I was ok when observing and made sure I understood everything, answering any questions I had.
She was a kind, calm, patient, knowledgeable, polite, caring, professional and just lovely. She made a massive difference to me and my time in hospital. She will be a really super midwife (she already is really!) and I am grateful to have had her care.
Career prospects
Graduate Immigration Route visa
Based on current information from the UK Government, international students whose study extends beyond summer 2021 may be eligible for a visa under the UK Government’s Graduate Immigration Route, which will enable students to stay and work, or look for work, in the UK at any skill level for up to two (2) years. Check the most up to date guidance available to check your eligibility and any updates from the UK Government before making an application or enrolment decision.
There are thousands of midwives in today’s NHS yet the continued rise in the number of births has led the Royal College of Midwives to predict a 3,500 shortfall of qualified professionals in England.
There is a strong practical emphasis on this course, with 50% of the course expected to be spent on placements. On graduating successfully from this course, you can apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (registration fee may apply), which enables you to practise immediately in either the NHS or independent practice. As a registered midwife, you’ll have opportunities to work with a range of other professionals including, obstetricians GPs, health visitors, neonatal nurses and maternity support workers.
As well as helping you to find suitable work placements and give you advice on how to get the most out of them, the university can provide you with support you when you are ready to begin your professional career.
There will be considerable opportunities for educational and professional development. Learning Beyond Registration (LBR) has always been as essential element within the role of the midwife. A range of continuing professional development modules and courses are available at Coventry University.
100%
of students were in graduate level employment 6 months after graduating
DLHE 2016/17
Where our graduates work
The majority of our graduates have found employment as qualified midwives in the NHS. As your career progresses, you may choose to specialise in a particular area of perinatal care and eventually apply for the role of consultant midwife. This would require you to provide clinical leadership for midwives and other healthcare professionals involved in maternity services.
As a registered midwife, you could work with specialist midwives such as bereavement midwives and ante natal screening midwives and also a range of other professionals including obstetricians, GPs, health visitors, neonatal nurses and maternity support workers
You could also aim to become involved in practice development or board level management within an NHS Trust.
Patient testimonial
I wanted to pass on some feedback regarding one of the student midwives who looked after me, Chloe, who I believe is a second year student. What can I say, she was absolutely brilliant.
Chloe always made sure I was ok when observing and made sure I understood everything, answering any questions I had.
She was a kind, calm, patient, knowledgeable, polite, caring, professional and just lovely. She made a massive difference to me and my time in hospital. She will be a really super midwife (she already is really!) and I am grateful to have had her care.
Disclaimer
By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the 2020/21 Contract can be found here. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.
The tuition fee for the course that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For UK and EU students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation. Following the UK’s exit from the European Union, EU students should be aware that there may be a change to UK laws following the UK’s exit, this may change their student status, their eligibility to study part time, and/or their eligibility for student finance. We will act in accordance with the UK’s laws in force in relation to student tuition fees and finance from time to time.
For International students the tuition fee that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For international students, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation.
