Studying our Midwifery BSc (Hons) course will equip you with the specialist practical skills and knowledge around universal care in pregnancy, sexual health and professional midwifery practice. To develop your understanding of the processes of childbirth, our unit in Human Development: Preconception to Birth will expose you to the anatomy and physiology of human development from conception to early childhood. You will explore how genes influence growth, development and the functioning of the human body, particularly the reproductive system, and how to screen for genetic disorders. This process will allow you to ensure the best start in life for a newborn infant. In areas of practice, you will undertake a maternity placement or simulation where you will provide care and support throughout pre and post childbirth to a minimum of three women or birthing people in our Participating in Midwifery Care unit. This will allow you to identify and develop your skills while working in a multidisciplinary team focused on antenatal, labour and postnatal care. You will also absorb the fundamental knowledge around processes in pregnancy, labour and the postpartum period while also learning to respect the culturally diverse beliefs and values of the birthing person and their families.  

This ensures that you create a safe, respectful and nurturing space for the birthing person and their family. Our unit in Contributing to Midwifery Care closely links to this, where you will complete practice assessments and actively participate in the provision of continuity of care. You will build on these skills even further in our Demonstrating Proficiency in Midwifery Care unit to integrate and apply core midwifery knowledge and skills required for safe and effective practice. In doing so, you will learn to provide individualised care while also being prepared to anticipate additional needs when they occur and how to support them in our Providing Individualised Midwifery Care unit. Similarly, you will also be equipped to act, manage and escalate care in additional and emergency situations within maternity care in our Additional and First Line Management of Midwifery Care unit by learning to anticipate situations that require urgent action and immediate response, and subsequently deliver first-line management through collaborating with various teams. To add to this, you will be encouraged to act as an advocate for women, birthing people, their families and newborn infants.  

You will also consider midwifery practice within a public health arena in our Enhancing Midwifery Practice Through Public Health unit where you will examine key psychological and physiological concepts that will help you develop a safe level of competence to promote a healthy pregnancy, maternal and neonatal wellbeing. As a core part of your practice, you will be equipped with the skills and knowledge to examine newborn babies while also considering the needs of the woman or birthing person and their families in our Systematic Examination of the Newborn unit. Working based on evidence, you will develop the skills to identify, analyse and interpret research evidence to make informed decisions around care and to support women and birthing people as part of our unit in Enhancing Quality and Safety Through Evidence. To ensure your delivery of specialised care, you will identify values of midwifery practice and apply professional codes and standards of behaviour to your practice in our unit - Being an Accountable, Professional Midwife. This closely links to our Developing as an Accountable, Professional Midwife unit where you will learn to review, evaluate and apply national and local guidance and policy to current maternity care.  

To add to your professional skills, our unit in The Future Midwife as a Teacher and Leader will expose you to positive role modelling and leadership behaviours needed to become a midwife, teacher and leader while reflecting on your strengths and limitations alongside your ability to work with students and colleagues within teams. Finally, you will be able to demonstrate your independent skills in our Promoting Excellence: Midwifery Project. This is a great opportunity for you to focus on your personal interests in midwifery practice while demonstrating your skills in a critical study focused on a chosen topic.