Midwife

Key skills/talents

Becoming a midwife is a rewarding career that combines scientific medical knowledge with emotional support. Here are some essential skills and areas of knowledge you'll need to thrive in this role: :

1. In-depth knowledge of the female anatomy and physiology: This includes understanding the hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy, the different stages of labour and birth, and potential complications.

2. Excellent assessment skills: Midwives need to be able to assess the health of both mother and baby throughout pregnancy, labour, and the postpartum period. This includes monitoring vital signs, identifying potential risks, and making decisions about the best course of care.

3. Strong clinical skills: Midwives perform a variety of clinical tasks, such as administering medication, performing examinations (including intimate ones), and suturing episiotomies.

4. Communication and interpersonal skills: Midwives need to be able to build rapport with women and their families, provide clear and concise information, and listen attentively to concerns.

5. Empathy and compassion: Pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood are emotional experiences. Midwives need to be able to provide emotional support to women and their families.

6. Cultural competency: Midwives need to be fully aware of and be able to care for women from diverse backgrounds and cultures, taking into account cultural needs and variations.

7. Decision-making skills: Midwives need to be able to think critically and make decisions in a timely manner, often in challenging situations.

8. Problem-solving skills: Midwives need to be able to identify and address problems that may arise during pregnancy, labour, and the postpartum period.

9. Teamwork skills: Midwives work collaboratively with other healthcare professionals, such as obstetricians, paediatricians, and nurses.

10. Commitment to lifelong learning: Midwifery is a constantly evolving field. Midwives need to be committed to staying up-to-date on the latest research and best practices.

11. Resilience: To effectively manage stressful situations (in the moment) and then to not take these situations (too much) on board (and take home).

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​Qualifications required

To become a midwife in the UK, you'll need to obtain a specific qualification:

Degree in Midwifery: This is the standard route and takes a minimum of three years full-time at a university with a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) approved program: https://www.nmc.org.uk/education/approved-programmes

 

And of course, the UCAS link for all UK degree courses is: https://www.ucas.com/explore/search/all?query=midwifery

 

Shorter route for Registered Nurses: If you're already a registered adult nurse in the UK, you can potentially complete a shorter, 18-month program to gain a qualification in midwifery and become dually registered: https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/career-planning/course-finder?field_leading_to_a_career_in_tid=148&field_region_tid=All&field_qualification_type_tid=All&field_study_mode_tid=All&items_per_page=25 

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Both options involve a mix of classroom learning and supervised clinical placements in hospitals, community settings, and birth centres.

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In order to gain entrance onto a midwifery degree, you will usually need to have a minimum of:

• Five GCSEs at grade 9-4/C or above, including English language or literature and a science subject

• Either two or three A-levels, or equivalent qualifications such as GNVQ advanced level or NVQ level 3.

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In the chat, Charlie also talks about apprenticeships, and even though we can’t find a Midwife apprenticeship (just a Maternity Support Worker), it’s worth keeping your ear to the ground on this, because they could be opening up. Here’s the link to keep checking: https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/career-planning/study-and-training/nhs-apprenticeships

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Throughout your career, you will need to ensure that you remain up to date with the latest developments, which could include completing further training. The Royal College of Midwives has a wide range of courses, all of which can help you to improve your skills and add qualifications to your CV.

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Additionally, you will need to renew your registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council every three years. To do this, you need to show that you have completed work outside of your day job, including 35 hours of continuing professional development such as attending conferences, workshops, or relevant training courses.

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Rules and regs

The NMC details all rules and regulations you must meet and adhere to as a midwife: https://www.nmc.org.uk/globalassets/sitedocuments/nmc-publications/practising-as-a-midwife-in-the-uk.pdf 

 

You must also register with the NMC to practise in the UK: https://www.regulated-professions.service.gov.uk/professions/midwife#:~:text=Regulation%20summary&text=What%20we%20do%20is%20set,Council%20sit%20underneath%20the%20Order. 

 

There is also the Midwives Act 1902, which you need to be fully up to speed on: https://www.bmj.com/content/2/2335/829.1 

 

The NMC also requires you to have professional indemnity insurance, whether you work in the NHS or as a private midwife: https://www.nmc.org.uk/registration/joining-the-register/professional-indemnity-arrangement

https://www.nmc.org.uk/globalassets/sitedocuments/registration/pii/pii-final-guidance.pdf 

This insurance is approved by the NMC: https://www.nmc.org.uk/globalassets/sitedocuments/registration/pii/pii-final-guidance.pdf

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Remuneration framework

Salary structures, as with all NHS jobs, are pretty transparent and structured for midwifery. Midwives working for the NHS are paid according to a fixed pay scale, known as Agenda for Change. 

 

• Band 5 midwife salary – newly qualified midwives typically join on band 5. A midwife starting salary is £28,407 and goes up to over £33k with four or more years’ experience.

• Band 6 midwife salary - starts at £35,392 and goes to £42,618 with five or more years’ experience.

• Band 7 midwife salary – starts at £43,742 with less than two years’ experience and progresses to £50,056 with five or more years’ experience.

• Bands 8b - 8c midwife salary – progressing to a consultant midwife salary in the UK, places you in bands 8b-8c, which ranges from £50,952 to £81,138..

 

Midwives that live and work in central London are entitled to a 20% uplift of their pay, those just outside of London are entitled to a 15% uplift, and those that work in the fringe zone of London are entitled to a 5% boost.

 

For a newly qualified midwife in central London, this would work out at £27,059 on band 5.

 

The Agenda for Change pay scales are different in Scotland. Midwives starting on band 5 can expect an average salary of £26,104, band 6 starts at £33,072, and band 7 begins at £40,872.

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How to get started

In the chat Charlie discusses initially working for a hospital in an admin support role, and then from that and from moving around in such a role, she closely observed and decided to pursue a career in midwifery. This is perhaps an unusual way to start, however, if you think you might want to do something medical, but aren’t quite sure what/which area (like Charlie), then this isn’t a bad idea at all.

 

Once you know midwifery is for you, then as we’ve said, you need to get qualified. All UK midwives must complete a NMC approved degree. There approved courses can be found on their website: https://www.nmc.org.uk/education/approved-programmes and the info is listed above.

 

Once you’re qualified, it’s then simply about applying for jobs, and this may well mean moving area/location, if the area you live in (or study in) doesn’t have any vacancies.

 

Most midwives are employed by the NHS, working in:

• Hospitals - on antenatal wards, labour wards (obstetric units), postnatal wards and Neonatal units, as well as in triage and assessment

• Midwifery-led maternity units and birthing centres

• The community - at GP surgeries, clinics, children's centres and in women's homes.

 

You can also find employment in private hospitals, independent practices and the armed forces.

 

Self-employment is possible. University hospitals employ midwives in joint partnerships between the trust and the university to work in lecturer-practitioner positions, or to conduct research.

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Associations or official bodies to register with

As previously mentioned, to be a midwife in the UK you must be registered with the NMC: https://www.nmc.org.uk/registration/joining-the-register

 

There is also the Royal College of Midwifery: https://www.rcm.org.uk

And of course, you can also join the Royal College of Nursing: https://www.rcn.org.uk/membership/nurse-join#:~:text=nurses%20and%20midwives%20can%20join%20both%20the%20RCN%20and%20RCM

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Job site links

NHS Jobs lists midwifery jobs and you can search for your region: https://www.nhsjobs.com/job_list/Nursing_and_Midwifery/s1/Midwifery/d602 

 

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) also carries jobs: https://healthjobs.bmj.com/jobs/midwife

 

As does Nurses.co.uk: https://www.nurses.co.uk/jobs/midwife

 

And of course, the usual likes of Indeed and Reed list jobs, also:

https://uk.indeed.com/q-midwife-jobs.html?vjk=d87354a8b82e6520

https://www.reed.co.uk/jobs/midwife-jobs

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Progression pathway​

The clearly structured career path is outlined in the remuneration section above, assuming you want to progress. However, LOTS of midwives simply stay on the frontline at Band 5, and as Charlie says, this is still great.

 

In addition to working through the bands, you can develop experience and knowledge in a number of different healthcare settings, including becoming a clinical specialist in an area, such as:

• Antenatal screening

• Breastfeeding advice

• Home birthing

• Intensive care neonatal units

• Labour ward supervision

• Parenting education

• Public health

• Ultrasound and foetal medicine.

 

You might also become a consultant midwife, dividing your time between working directly with patients and training and leading improvements in practice.

 

Or you may seek a higher management opportunity, such as the position of head of midwifery services, like Charlie is, or indeed as a supervisor of midwives with the local supervising authority. Alternatively, you could go into teaching or research within a healthcare setting or a university, and train the next generation of midwives.

There are also some opportunities to find work abroad with organisations such as Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO): https://www.vsointernational.org, or Médecins Sans Frontières: https://www.msf.org. In some countries, midwives must also hold registered nurse status in order to practise, so you should check this before applying.

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Additional Information/links

https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/midwifery/studying-midwifery

 

https://www.nmc.org.uk/education/becoming-a-nurse-midwife-nursing-associate/becoming-a-midwife

 

https://www.rcm.org.uk/promoting/education-hub/become-a-midwife

 

https://www.nurses.co.uk/blog/the-midwife-pay--and--salary-guide