Midwifery (Shortened Route) - MSc - 2024/25 Entry

Overview

Our accelerated MSc in Midwifery gives you the opportunity to qualify as a registered midwife in two years. This course is specifically for people who have already qualified and are currently registered as an Adult Nurse.

Our course is designed to enable you to transition from registered adult nurse to become a future midwife, able to lead and provide skilled, knowledgeable, respectful, and compassionate care for all women, newborn infants and their families through autonomous and evidence-based practice.

We will work with you to build incrementally on the skills and knowledge you gain in practice and University to help you achieve the level of competence and ability needed to make evidence-based, clinical decisions. The content of this 2 year course is guided by the NMC Standards for pre-registration midwifery programmes (2019).

We are one of four institutions selected by Health Education England (HEE) to deliver this exciting new blended learning option for Midwifery to enhance the digitisation of the NHS. Although this course is full time, the flexible course delivery enables you to balance your studies with other personal commitments. The course will also help you develop the digital skills needed to meet the demands of a changing society. Find out more about these new blended learning courses on the HEE website.

You will undertake practical placements alongside study days on campus and online learning using a range of virtual and digital technologies off campus, including online lectures and self-directed learning. Practice placement experiences will take place in the clinical environment with our NHS partners, supported by practice-orientated simulation activities.

This course is not open to International students.

What's covered in this course?

You will study a variety of modules, which will allow you to develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours required to care for women, and newborn infants across the care continuum from pre-pregnancy, through pregnancy, labour and birth, to postpartum, and into the early weeks of a newborn infant’s life.

Your core nursing skills will be further developed and applied in the field of midwifery. There is a strong emphasis on developing your ability to work both as an autonomous practitioner and within the multi-disciplinary team, and to advocate for women and their families. Our midwifery lecturers are all registered midwives and will support and guide you every step of the way.

The Midwifery Department is committed to providing you with excellent, innovative, learning, teaching and assessment experiences. We use technology to enhance your learning, through lectures, seminars, skills, simulation and virtual learning. This course is taught via blended learning, meaning you will experience a variety of teaching methods, which includes online lectures, self-directed learning and a proportion of study days on campus, in addition to practice-based clinical placements.

The course also embraces using and evaluating research to underpin midwifery practice with the expectation that you will apply this to both the theory and practice elements. The course places women and their families at the centre of midwifery practice irrespective of their complexity or healthcare setting.

Each year, you will engage in year-long practice exposure, which forms part of a module assessment. This module, alongside varied clinical placements, will help prepare and support you to develop your confidence and competence in practice, and work towards autonomously leading and co-ordinating care by the end of your course.

Placements are an essential part of this Midwifery course. On placement, you will participate in the care of the child-bearing population and their babies, under the supervision of qualified midwives. You start clinical placement within a few weeks of beginning your course so you'll get practical experience right from the start. During placements you'll be fully supported by qualified midwives, your academic assessor and your personal tutor. Clinical practice will be assessed using the NMC’s nationally-approved Midwifery Ongoing Record of Achievement (MORA).

We work with our practice partners to ensure you will have practice learning experiences in a wide range of settings - including community, hospital or home settings. You will be exposed to diverse populations and you will learn to work as part of the interdisciplinary and multiagency teams.

Engagement of practice partners and service users in all areas of learning, teaching and assessment is integral to our approach. Our evidence-based curriculum will empower you to contribute to the provision of high-quality holistic care both during your studies and in your future profession.

There are regular periods where you are encouraged to reflect on your practice in order to enhance your learning, which is a requirement for midwives following registration.

Accredited By

Why Choose Us?

Certain Trusts have commissioned places available, please contact your local trust to enquire.
The University is an Approved Education Institution. This course has been redeveloped in line with the new midwifery education standards and is approved by the NMC.
We're one of only four institutions chosen by Health Education England to deliver this new and innovative blended learning midwifery course.
Birmingham is one of the UK’s most diverse cities outside of London, which provides you with a wide variety of placement experiences that will be valuable to take forward into your future career.
Our specialist skills facilities include a home environment and birthing area. Teaching tools such as a birth simulator and neonatal manikins help to simulate a variety of birth scenarios.
By successfully completing this course you will have the opportunity to graduate with two qualifications: MSc in Midwifery which is accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and the Public Health England Newborn and Infant Physical Examination Programme (NIPE).
This is an exciting course which offers the opportunity to study for midwifery at Master's level. Studying at Level 7 provides the foundation for potential opportunities in research, practice development and specialist employment.  
Our well-established peer buddy system will support you from the start of your course.

OPEN DAY

Join us on campus where you'll be able to find out more about your course, learn about postgraduate finance and get an insight into studying at BCU. Booking for the next event isn’t open yet. Register your interest below and we’ll email you as soon as booking goes live.

Next Event: 29 June 2024

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Entry Requirements

IELTS

Essential
Admissions will be through direct application to the university and partner trust. Entrants to this programme must be a U.K. registered adult nurse with a minimum of a 2.1 at BSc (Hons) in a health related degree. You must hold and maintain current NMC adult nurse registration throughout this course. A minimum of 6 months full time equivalent prior to commencement is desirable. Consideration may be given for applicants with significant clinical experience who have not completed a first degree but have level 6 credits, or applicants whose academic level 6 credits were awarded less than 5 years prior to applying to undertake the course. Candidates may be required to complete pre-offer work for assessment by the course team to deem suitability for entry onto the course. Applicants must normally have evidence of formal study in Higher Education within the last five years. However, we are sometimes able to waive this requirement if a candidate has a significant amount of professional experience in a relevant field, for example healthcare, social care, or education. Applicants are required to undertake a face-to-face engagement, normally in the format of an interview. Interviews are currently taking place via Microsoft Teams. Find out more about online interviews. Places are subject to a satisfactory Occupational Health Check, Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and registration with the Independent Safeguarding Authority. You will need to provide a satisfactory clinical and academic reference prior to commencing the course. Qualifications, personal statement, and references all form part of the selection criteria for this course. Applicants must demonstrate evidence of literacy, numeracy, and IT skills in line with the Nursing and Midwifery Council requirements. PLUS
You must hold Maths and English at GCSE level at a minimum of grade 4/C.
Extra information for EU/international students
IELTS	Applicants who have not received their secondary school education in English will require an overall IELTS score of 7, including a minimum of 6.5 in the writing section and at least 7 in the reading, listening, and speaking sections. An equivalent test to IELTS is acceptable and will be considered on an individual basis. If English is studied at GCSE Level but as a second language, IELTS must be completed to qualify for UK L2 requirement

Please note, we do not accept deferred applications for this course. You must be ready to start the course when you apply.

If you have a qualification that is not listed, please contact us.

Fees & How to Apply

Please select your student status to view fees and apply

UK Student
International Student

UK students

Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.

Award: MSc

Starting: Jan 2025

Full Time
2 years
TBC

International students

Sorry, this course is not available to International students.

In addition to completing our application form for this course, you must also complete an NHS application. This is because you will be employed at Band 5 during your training. You can upload the completed application form along with proof of your qualifications to your applicant portal (you will create a login when you complete our application form online). If you are successful at interview, your NHS application form will be forwarded to the Trust.

Download NHS application form

Access to computer equipment

You will require use of a laptop, and most students do prefer to have their own. However, you can borrow a laptop from the university or use one of our shared computer rooms.

Printing

You will receive £5 print credit in each year of your course, available after enrolment.

Field trips

All essential field trips and associated travel costs will be included in your course fees.

Access to Microsoft Office 365

Every student at the University can download a free copy of Microsoft Office 365 to use whilst at university and for 18 months after graduation.

Key Software

You will be able to download SPSS and Nvivo to your home computer to support with your studies and research.

Key subscriptions

Subscriptions to key journals and websites are available through our library.

DBS check

You will require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check for this course. Your first DBS check is included in your fees.

Placement expenses (mandatory)

Placements are a compulsory element of many health and teacher training courses. You'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst living or working away from home.

Clothing and safety equipment (mandatory)

This course requires the purchase of safety equipment. You will need to provide appropriate shoes for placement experiences.

Specialist equipment (mandatory)

This course requires the purchase of specialist equipment, including stethoscope (approx. £80-£100) and fob watch.

Excess printing (optional)

Once you have spent your £5 credit, additional printing on campus costs from 5p per sheet.

Books (optional)

All module key texts will be in the University library, but in limited numbers. You may choose to purchase a copy.

Subscriptions (optional)

You may wish to purchase subscriptions to additional journals and websites.

Memberships (optional)

You may wish to join a union or professional body related to this course.

Accommodation and living costs

The cost of accommodation and other living costs are not included within your course fees. More information on the cost of accommodation can be found in our accommodation pages.

Funding

Health Education England will provide funding for Shortened Midwifery training for Registered Nurses on programmes starting from January 2022 until April 2024.

Download the funding FAQs

Personal statement

You’ll need to submit a personal statement as part of your application for this course. This will need to highlight your passion for postgraduate study – and your chosen course – as well as your personal skills and experience, academic success, and any other factors that will support your application for further study.

Not sure what to include? We’re here to help – take a look at our top tips for writing personal statements and download our free postgraduate personal statement guide for further advice and examples from real students.

Course in Depth

Year One

There are no optional modules. In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all CORE modules (totalling 180 credits):

Year Two

In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all CORE modules (totalling 180 credits).

Download course specification

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In order to meet the NMC (2019) requirements there is a minimum of 3600 hours in total with a 50/50 split of theory and practice the following workload applies. This is based on the equivalent of 40 hours theory per week and 6 weeks annual leave per year. Whilst on placement students are expected to complete 37.5 hours of clinical hours. Students are expected to work to 1800 hours in total per year of the programme.

Scheduled Learning includes lectures, practical classes and workshops, contact time specified in timetable.

Directed Learning includes placements, work-based learning, external visits, online activity, Graduate+, peer learning.

Private Study includes preparation for exams.

Additional support

If you are dyslexic, have a specific learning difference or a disability, we have a Disability Tutor who can help and support you with this.

Accreditation or professional associations

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) works with partner organisations to set and maintain high standards of nursing and midwifery education across the UK.

This course has been approved and monitored by the NMC to make sure that the education and training on offer meets their standards.

To work as a nurse or midwife, you must pass an NMC approved course at a higher education institution (HEI) in pre-registration nursing and midwifery, leading to registration with the NMC.

Health Education England

The Blended Learning programme has been developed with Health Education England to address national shortages in clinical expertise and explores the opportunities of providing predominantly online, remote-access study to those people who may have the aptitude and values to join the healthcare profession, but currently are unable to learn in traditional ways.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) works with partner organisations to set and maintain high standards of nursing and midwifery education across the UK.

This course has been approved and monitored by the NMC to make sure that the education and training on offer meets their standards.

To work as a nurse or midwife, you must pass an NMC approved course at a higher education institution (HEI) in pre-registration nursing and midwifery, leading to registration with the NMC.

Athena Swan Bronze Award

We have successfully secured the Athena SWAN Departmental Bronze Award recognising a commitment to gender equality.

The Athena Swan Charter is a framework which is used across the globe to support and transform gender equality within higher education (HE) and research.

Employability

Enhancing your employability skills

Employers at our NHS partners consistently cite the strength of our graduates at interview and their suitability to be immediately fit for practice as a midwife.

We believe it is because of our selection of determined and caring individuals who are motivated to becoming midwives that have the 6C’s as their core attributes.

Employers at our NHS partnership trusts consistently cite the strength of our graduates at interview and their suitability to be immediately fit for practice as a midwife.

We believe it is because of our selection of determined and caring individuals who are motivated to becoming midwives that have the 6C’s as their core attributes.

Placements

On our Midwifery courses, you can expect to enjoy a number of placements at some of the biggest and busiest NHS centres for midwifery training in the Midlands. We have a teaching-placement split of 50-50%, reflecting the importance of the clinical experience you will get at these Trusts and birthing centres.

Within these placements you will experience a wide range of midwifery practice progressing from normality in year one to complexity in year two and more specialist roles in year three. You will also have the opportunity for additional experiences such as gynaecology and the neonatal unit

Our partner NHS Trusts are some of the world’s leading maternity environments, including Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust,

University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust.

More about our placement opportunities

Facilities & Staff

Our Facilities

Our School of Nursing and Midwifery is based at our City South campus in leafy Edgbaston.

We’ve spent £41million expanding our facilities at City South. These facilities offer hands-on practical experience, replicating the spaces you will come across in professional practice.

In a sector where new techniques are constantly being discovered, we work hard to ensure that you learn using the most up-to-date equipment available. Alongside physical spaces such as a mock operating theatre and wards, we also make use of online and virtual technology, such as our virtual ward and virtual case creator.

See more of our skills facilities at City South

Centre for Skills and Simulation

The Centre for Skills and Simulation offers a range of different spaces which replicate situations that you will encounter in practice. These include hospital wards, an operating theatre and a home environment room.

Our mock wards enable you to get a feel of what a ward is really like before you head out for your first placement. The hospital wards can be adapted from low care to high dependency care environment with the necessary monitoring equipment.

The home environment room is the perfect space for teaching communications skills and allows us to simulate a community setting for our students. It is particularly useful for mental health nurses, learning disability nurses and midwives.

Simulation Manikins

We have several Simulation men (SIM men) and simulation babies (SIM babies) which are anatomically correct manikins used for teaching specific techniques such as advanced adult and paediatric life support skills, acute and high dependency clinical skills, first aid and communication skills. The manikins contain software which replicates real symptoms, and can manipulate indicators such as blood pressure, pulse and heart rate for extra realism. SIM man can even ‘talk’ to the students as they are treating him, to add another dimension to learning.

Computer Facilities

The Seacole building has two open-access IT Suites which offer PCs, printers, photocopiers and scanners. There is also an IT Helpdesk for quick and easy help with your computing or internet issues.

Our PCs utilise the latest Intel i5 core technology, all with:

Fast (unrestricted) internet connectivity
Ability to save files to USB, DVD & CD
Microsoft Office software
Research and statistical software
Storage space which can be accessed from any PC across the University and from home

Our PCs are also designed to support students who may have difficulties with reading and writing, featuring specialised software with zooming/magnification and screen reading capabilities, which may also be customised for individual student needs.

In addition to desktop PCs, we also offer a laptop loan facility, allowing students to borrow a laptop for up to six hours while on campus.

Our staff

Rachel Moule

Senior Academic (Teaching and Learning)

Rachel is the programme leader for the return to practice: midwifery course. She has herself previously undertaken a RTPM course. Rachel is supported by colleagues from midwifery and nursing. Close links are maintained with practice education teams in local NHS Trusts. Wider afield, links are strongly made and maintained with...

More about Rachel

Louise Hartin

Senior Lecturer in Midwifery / Course Leader for A-EQUIP module

Louise joined the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Birmingham City University in 2014 and is one of our senior midwife lecturers.

More about Louise

Julie Hadley

Deputy Head of Nursing and Midwifery

Julie is the Deputy Head of Nursing and Midwifery at Birmingham City University. She has been employed in higher education since 2008. After qualifying, she worked as a midwife at the Birmingham Women's Hospital and later as a Research Midwife. She was then employed as a project manager and research teacher and was involved in...

More about Julie

Natasha Carr

Senior Midwifery Lecturer

A a senior lecturer in the Midwifery Department, Natasha is responsible for providing, supporting and facilitating teaching and learning on both the long and short BSc (Hons) Midwifery Programmes. In addition, Natasha teaches alongside colleagues on the Examination of the Newborn Programme and lead the Professional Midwifery Advocate (A-EQUIP)...

More about Natasha

Maggie Prain

Senior Lecturer of Nursing & Midwifery

Maggie began full time lecturing in 2003 and has been the programme director for the BSc (Hons)/Graduate Diploma in midwifery 20-month programme since 2006 -2013. She is now also the programme director for the Examination of the newborn programme

More about Maggie

Sharon Hadley

Senior Midwifery Lecturer

Sharon has been a midwife for nearly 20 years where her love for the role has just grown as she has developed in her career. A career spanning 20 years has allowed her to flourish and try different roles that all entwine to improve the care women and their families receive.

More about Sharon