Available to registered adult nurses, this course will allow you to change your career from nursing to midwifery. The course will enable you to practice safely and effectively, to provide care for women and babies and upon successful graduation register as a midwife with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
Midwives are autonomous practitioners and offer specialist support to mothers from the antenatal to the postnatal period, working with a range of healthcare professionals to promote the best interests of a mother and their baby. This course has been designed to encourage you to think critically and apply evidence to underpin your clinical practice. It will provide you with a wide base of knowledge aligned to national policy and has been developed to meet the NMC's education requirements for the future midwife. It will enable you to be confident in using an evidence-based approach to support decision-making in complex mental, physical, cognitive and behavioural situations.
Inter-professional learning opportunities are embedded throughout the programme, enabling you to learn with different professions to expand your knowledge and develop your ability to work across various teams - an essential skill to learn to operate as a safe and compassionate midwife.
Two-year study
This programme gives registered adult nurses - with at least 6 months experience - the opportunity to train as a midwife. You'll delve deep into the specialist skills needed to become a highly-skilled midwife, building on your existing skills and experience as a qualified nurse.
We are one of a small number of institutions working with Health Education England (HEE) to offer this programme. HEE could provide funding for this course.
Placements are an essential part of your learning and we will allocate you to a local Trust, where you will follow a rotation between areas in both maternity and other health care settings. You are also allocated a practice supervisor and assessor in placement with whom you will complete your proficiencies. If you are already working in an NHS Trust, and are being funded for your course by HEE, you will undertake your placements in your current Trust working under supervision.
The course also benefits from:
A team committed to working to the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly standards for Midwifery programmes
A focus on current public health priorities, the care of vulnerable groups and the increasingly complex health needs of childbearing women; including maternal mental health
Focus on supporting continuity of care and case loading
Service user involvement to ensure that the experiences of women and their families are integrated into the programme
The programme aims to develop registered midwives who:
Meet the NMC Standards of proficiency for midwives and become eligible to register on the midwifery section of the NMC register
Practice within legal and ethical frameworks, acknowledging the impact and responsibility of legal and ethical issues on the role of the midwife in the delivery of maternity care
Postgraduate Open Event
Join us at an upcoming Postgraduate Open Event, where you will get the opportunity to meet our expert academics and find out more about your course.
In this year you will be introduced to the fundamentals of midwifery practice and skills. You will learn about standard midwifery practice and the midwife's role as an autonomous practitioner. You will also begin case loading and learning about continuity of care.
Modules:
Antenatal Care and Public Health in Contemporary Midwifery Practice
In this year you will build on your year one, developing knowledge and skills, caring for mothers and babies with additional needs. You will also learn about caring for mothers and babies who have unique or rare conditions which require more complex care. You will have exposure to other placements where you'll put theory into practice in a range of settings.
Modules:
Management of Obstetric Emergencies and Complications of Childbirth
Independent Review of Midwifery Practice
Clinical Practice Two
Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.
How you will learn
The programme aims to encourage you to think critically and apply evidence to underpin your clinical practice. The programme is mapped to NMC requirements for the education of student midwives and is aligned to national policy. The programme is 50% theory and 50% practice-based. You will gain 1,800 hours of practical experience in the antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal periods, as well as in the care of the newborn baby. You'll get the opportunity to examine a wide variety of physical, social, and psychological needs, and knowledge of the transition to parenting.
Students will be exposed to a variety of learning opportunities, face to face teaching, independent study, blended learning days and online resources. Learning in practice is supported by the midwifery ongoing record of achievement document which encompasses all requirements in practice.
Placements
Midwifery placements can encompass community, antenatal and postnatal wards, day assessment units, labour wards, and birth centres. There are also opportunities to gain experience in other settings to expand learning experiences. You will be placed at local trust providers within the region, mainly large hospitals.
The aim of placements is to ensure you achieve all the required proficiencies to prepare you for clinical practice and registration as a midwife. Midwifery students are supported in practice by supervisors and assessors, and there is an emphasis on the application of theory to practice within these settings. To support this, midwifery students will have the opportunity to use specialist equipment available in the clinical skills department at the University.
Assessment
You'll be assessed in various forms to complete this programme, including written assignments, oral examinations (VIVA), objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE), written examinations, dissertation and case studies. The programme is designed to help test your theoretical knowledge as well as your practical skills, so we have a range of assessments enabling you to demonstrate both competencies to us.
Who will teach you
Jayne Leverton
Programme Leader
Jayne Leverton
Jayne joined the University as the Lead Midwife for Education and Senior Lecturer of Midwifery in April 2020. She has worked in many specialist areas within midwifery, the majority of her time at Derby was as matron in the inpatie...
You must be a Registered Adult Nurse on Part 1 of the NMC Register for a minimum of six months and be currently employed by a local trust.
Have an undergraduate degree classification of 2:1 or above in nursing or any other health and social care related programme. Evidence of Level 6 study will also be considered.
Applicants must complete an Occupational Health Assessment and Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check as part of the selection process and any offer made will be subject to these
Applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate via IELTS (or equivalent) an overall score of Level 7
About postgraduate awards
Please note at postgraduate level, you’ll need to gain the following number of credits in total to obtain the respective awards. If you have any questions please contact us.
Award
Credits
Postgraduate Certificate
60 Credits
Postgraduate Diploma
120 Credits
MSc
180 Credits
Fees and funding
2024/25 (August 2024 - July 2025)
Type
Full-time
Part-time
UK
9,250 per year
N/A
International
14,900 per year
N/A
Please note fees normally increase in line with inflation and the University's strategic approach to fees, which is reviewed on an annual basis. The total fee you pay may therefore increase after one year of study.
* UK full-time fees paid within one academic year are rounded down to the nearest £50 if applicable
Additional fee information
Please note at postgraduate level, you'll need to gain the following number of credits in total to obtain the respective awards. If you have any questions please contact us.
Award
Credits
Postgraduate Certificate
60 Credits
Postgraduate Diploma
120 Credits
MSc
180 Credits
Further details on available funding is yet to be confirmed for the academic year of 2024-25. Please check back at a later date for more information.
Please note fees normally increase in line with inflation and the University's strategic approach to fees, which is reviewed on an annual basis. The total fee you pay may therefore increase after one year of study.
* UK full-time fees paid within one academic year are rounded down to the nearest £50 if applicable
Please note at postgraduate level, you’ll need to gain the following number of credits in total to obtain the respective awards. If you have any questions please contact us.
Award
Credits
Postgraduate Certificate
60 Credits
Postgraduate Diploma
120 Credits
MA or MSc
180 Credits
This means you will gain 180 credits in total to complete the full MA or MSc. If you are studying part time you will normally complete your studies over two or three years, depending on the course structure.
Funding your studies
Find out more about fees, postgraduate loans and support you may be entitled to.
We're committed to providing you with an outstanding learning experience. Our expert teaching, excellent facilities and great employability prepare you for your future career. As part of our commitment to you we aim to keep any additional study costs to a minimum. However, there are occasions where students may incur some additional costs.
Included in your fees
Travel and accommodation expenses associated with placements are to be met
Travel will be reimbursed if it exceeds travel to and from the University campus base
Uniforms
Name badges and ID holders
Enhanced DBS Check
Occupational Health Check
Mandatory costs not included in your fees
Textbooks for skills sessions and placements approx. £40
Suitable shoes that comply with uniform policy approx. £40
Travel to and from the University campus base
Optional costs not included in your fees
Textbooks to supplement anything available through the library various prices depending on the content
Printing costs of course materials if a hard copy is desired approx. 5p per sheet
Students may opt to engage in international trips and activities that are not fully funded, though bursaries may be available
Optional outings and trips will also require self-funding
Professional NMC membership required to practice
International student scholarships
We have a range of scholarships and discounts available to international students which can be used together to offer a reduction in your tuition fees.
Our undergraduate and postgraduate course pages will show the intakes that are available and open to applications. It's best to apply early so you can secure your place and beat the rush.
Once we have received your application and supporting documents (such as qualifications or references), we will review it and contact you within 4 weeks to let you know if you have been successful or not.
Our aim is to support all students to have the best possible opportunities to succeed and so our application and enrolment deadlines are in place to ensure you stand the best chance of doing so.
Joining the programme later may harm your chances of success on your course. It is therefore vital that you take note of the dates and ensure you submit your completed application and subsequent enrolment in time.
Undergraduate and postgraduate taught deadlines
Please note some courses may have an earlier induction, teaching and enrolment deadline date.
If your course operates a gathered field or pooled admissions process there may be an earlier application date. Please check your individual course page for further details.
On completion of the programme, you may register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Lead Midwives for Education (LME) will provide a good health and character declaration. You may then enter employment as a Registered Midwife where a variety of rewarding and varied careers and pathways are available. You may choose to work in:
hospitals
community
midwife-led units
specialist roles such as diabetes-specialist midwife
bereavement
counselling and safeguarding
Further study
You may wish to return to academic study, further developing your skills and knowledge to be able to undertake a range of specialist or advanced roles. The University of Derby has a postgraduate framework in health and social care and a range of programmes for further study are available.
It is expected that once registered, midwives may return to the University to do Prescribing Qualifications such as PG Cert in Non-Medical Prescribing.
The MSc Midwifery programme will equip registrants with skills such as drug calculations and medicines management, but you will not be able to Prescribe until you have completed additional prescribing qualifications (such as our PG Cert in Non-Medical Prescribing).
If you need any more information from us, eg on courses, accommodation, applying, car parking, fees or funding, please contact us and we will do everything we can to help you.
Like most universities, we operate extended teaching hours at the University of Derby, so contact time with your lecturers and tutors could be anytime between 9am and 9pm. Your timetable will usually be available on the website 24 hours after enrolment on to your course.
Minimum numbers
Please note that this course is subject to minimum numbers in order to run.
-(1)-(1).jpg)
.jfif)
.jpg)