Program Overview
LSBU's BSc (Hons) Midwifery program aims to develop midwives who adhere to NMC standards and provide evidence-based, woman-centered care. Students alternate between theoretical study and practical placements, gaining a deep understanding of normal and altered maternal health, newborn care, and midwifery emergencies. Upon completion, graduates are eligible for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Program Outline
The program focuses on:
- Developing midwives who will act as leaders and change agents, aware of the significance of innovation, creativity, and best available evidence in the evaluation and development of woman-centred care and the maternity services.
- Promoting collaborative working with service users, interdisciplinary and multiagency teams in contemporary midwifery practice.
- Developing midwives who recognize their own strengths and exercise responsibility for their own professional and career development. This course is newly approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and is designed in partnership with healthcare providers, current students, service users, and commissioners.
Outline:
The program is structured as follows:
Year 1:
- Foundation science, knowledge and practice: Introduces the functioning of the human body, focusing on the structure and function of all systems at a preliminary level. Covers essential concepts such as the organization of the body, homeostasis, anatomy and physiology, necessary to underpin midwifery practice.
- Contemporary professional midwifery: Introduces the principles of professionalism, including the role of the midwife and the role of the NMC in the regulation of midwifery. Focuses on key concepts of professionalism within contemporary midwifery, with a key focus on the role and responsibilities of the midwife.
- Normal physiological childbirth and universal care: Develops an understanding of physiological childbirth and the principles and provision of holistic midwifery care applied across pregnancy and the childbirth continuum. Includes detailed anatomy and physiology as applied to pregnancy, labor and birth, and the postnatal
- Public health, health promotion and health protection: Introduces epidemiological principles and current evidence and data on public health strategies, health promotion, health protection, and safeguarding.
- Introduction to midwifery practice (Year 1 Practice): A work-based module designed to introduce students to aspects of practice assessment and their use of the Midwifery On-going Record of Achievement (MORA). Introduces key research terms and develops knowledge of research methodologies, the processes involved in planning and conducting ethical research, and the use of evidence. Equips students with the skills and knowledge to recognize deviations from the norm, signs of compromise and deterioration, and plan, escalate, and coordinate care to ensure that women achieve an optimum outcome. Examines how socio-cultural, obstetric, and psychological factors may increase women’s vulnerability to mental distress and the development of anxiety, depression, and psychosis during pregnancy and the childbearing period.
- Developing competent midwifery practice (Year 2 Practice): Focuses on the application of women-centered care and the benchmarks used to describe normality in everyday practice. Considers the woman’s journey with her family during other non-midwifery pathways and the influence of the medical model on childbirth.
eonatal period. Introduces the newborn physical examination.
Year 3:
- Quality improvement in practice: Explores the theoretical underpinnings of quality improvement in the maternity services. Enables students to critically explore the contribution of risk and evidence as interrelated factors which play a part in the promotion of a safe and effective maternity service.
- Midwifery management of maternal and neonatal emergencies: Equips the student to implement first-line emergency management of complications and/or additional care needs for the woman, the fetus, and newborn infant when signs of compromise and deterioration or emergencies occur with the input of the multidisciplinary team.
- The systematic examination of the newborn infant: Consolidates previous knowledge and builds upon knowledge and skills relating to the newborn infant, including aspects relating to the Newborn Infant Physical Examination (NIPE).
- Promoting excellence in midwifery practice: Considers key aspects in the transition to professional practice and registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Focuses on the midwife as a scholar, leader, and colleague, encompassing the areas of teaching and supervision of students, management skills, and professional development.
- Proficient midwifery practice (Year 3 Practice): A work-based module which focuses on the consolidation of learning in preparation for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Supports the achievement of key aspects within the MORA which focus on decision-making, accountability, and autonomy in caseload midwifery.
Assessment:
Assessment methods are specified in each module descriptor with details in the individual module guides. These are designed to test the module and course learning outcomes and are mapped to the professional standards outlined in the Future midwife: Standards of proficiency for midwives (NMC, 2019). Assessment methods include:
- Written assignments: Narrative and reflective essays, case studies, evidence-based scenarios, and critical analysis assignments to develop integration of theory and practice and to critically examine selected aspects of care and suggest strategies for quality improvement.
- Care studies: To develop skills in articulating knowledge and decision-making processes.
- Oral and poster presentations: To demonstrate the ability to identify relevant information and articulate practice-focused decisions based on assessment and interpretation.
- Literature searching and critical appraisal: To identify and examine the evidence for quality of midwifery care.
- Examinations: To test underpinning knowledge and decision-making.
- Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), modified viva, practice scenarios: To provide a simulated experience in which knowledge and skills can be demonstrated.
- Case reviews, history taking, and assessment skills: To assess practical skills.
- Midwifery On-going Record of Achievement (MORA): To assess the achievement of identified proficiencies in practice.
Teaching:
The Midwifery academic team is made up of qualified midwives with a wealth of experience and knowledge of the midwifery profession. Team members hold professional teaching qualifications, Masters and PhDs, which enable a more rich and invigorating learning experience, and enhance their ability to adapt to new and innovative teaching and learning methods. Students will also have input from midwifery placement facilitators, specialist clinicians, and practice educators who hold joint appointments between the university and the Trusts. LSBU prides itself on the support that is offered to the students in university and placement and are committed and dedicated to ensuring all students have an excellent learning experience to enhance their professional development.
Careers:
Many graduates take their first posts as qualified practitioners in the NHS Trusts and hospitals where they gained experience during their training. The degree enhances employability through its emphasis on a vocational approach to teaching, leading to a professional qualification and registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Most of the roles are in the NHS, although there are opportunities at private hospitals, clinics, and abroad. Day-to-day the work can be varied, as midwives have a range of responsibilities. Providing advice to women and their families; diagnosing, monitoring, and examining women during pregnancy; and coordinating care with other professionals and agencies are all typical activities. There are also opportunities to enter education in roles such as practice development midwife, midwifery lecturer, or lecturer-practitioner, research, and management. Recent graduates have become specialist midwives in teenage pregnancy, HIV, and smoking cessation counselling, whilst others have gone on to work in children's centres or become consultant midwives.
Other:
- Students are expected to be in theory block 50% and practice block 50% each year.
- Modules vary from 0 credits to 40 credits.
- Students will be expected to work a variety of shifts including, evenings, weekends, bank holidays, and night shifts.
- Students must have occupational health and Enhanced DBS clearance prior to starting placement.
- Some compulsory skills sessions may take place in the evening depending on capacity of rooms and resources.
- Students are expected to complete a minimum of 2300 hours of clinical practice over the length of the program.
- Estimated 10 hours per 1 credit value of a module which includes blended learning, face-to-face, online, and self-directed learning as adult learners.
- All clinical and theory hours will be accounted for.
- The program has been jointly validated by LSBU and the NMC. On completion of the course, you are eligible to be placed on the NMC professional register.
- The Nursing and Midwifery Council regulates nurses and midwives in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Islands.
- During the course, you will spend 50% of your time involved in academic study and 50% in clinical practice within a broad variety of healthcare settings.
- A clinical practice placement allows you to put theory into practice by working with a range of health professionals in clinical situations to develop the skills, knowledge, and experience required to become a competent midwife.
- The nursing and midwifery wards have simulator mannequins: SimBaby and SimMom. These life-size mannequins are computer controlled and can be programmed with various clinical conditions. They are operated by a computer in real-time and so respond to a student's actions. They also allow students to see the outcome of specific interventions in certain scenarios, which could make the client better or deteriorate quite quickly. They can be set up to simulate the range of delivery environments available to laboring women. The students can rehearse dealing with emergencies in a simulated setting. SimMom has fully accurate anatomy and can breathe, blink, sweat, speak, and groan in pain as well as have a pulse.
- As a Health and Social Care student, you will be allocated a named tutor during your first three weeks at LSBU. These could be academic, financial, health-related, or another type of problem.
- You will have appointments with your personal tutor at least once a semester for 45-60 minutes throughout your course.
Full-time year 1 year 2 year 3 BSc (Hons) Midwifery (FT) - Year 1 The fee shown is for entry 2024/25 UK fee: £9250 International fee: £ AOS/LSBU code: 3644 Session code: 1FS00 Total course fee: UK: £27750 BSc (Hons) Midwifery (FT) - Year 2 The fee shown is for entry 2024/25 UK fee: £9250 International fee: £ AOS/LSBU code: 3644 Session code: 2FS00 Total course fee: UK: £27750 BSc (Hons) Midwifery (FT) - Year 3 The fee shown is for entry 2024/25 UK fee: £9250 International fee: £ AOS/LSBU code: 3644 Session code: 3FS00 Total course fee: UK: £27750 United Kingdom £9250 home students International £ international students Tuition fees are subject to annual inflationary increases. Full-time full-time year 1 year 2 year 3 BSc (Hons) Midwifery (FT) - Year 1 The fee shown is for entry 2024/25 UK fee: £9250 International fee: £ AOS/LSBU code: 3644 Session code: 1FS00 Total course fee: UK: £27750 BSc (Hons) Midwifery (FT) - Year 2 The fee shown is for entry 2024/25 UK fee: £9250 International fee: £ AOS/LSBU code: 3644 Session code: 2FS00 Total course fee: UK: £27750 BSc (Hons) Midwifery (FT) - Year 3 The fee shown is for entry 2024/25 UK fee: £9250 International fee: £ AOS/LSBU code: 3644 Session code: 3FS00 Total course fee: UK: £27750 International students The course is not currently open to international students. Home Mode Duration Start date Application code Application method Mode Full-time Duration 3 years Start date September Application code B720 Application method UCAS
