How to become a midwife

Whether you're just finishing school or changing careers, there are several pathways into midwifery.

How you get there will depend on which route you want to take, you can study a full-time university degree course, an apprenticeship or even work your way up from a maternity support worker.

What to expect

Midwives are trained professionals who look after people during pregnancy, labour, birth, and after the baby is born. They offer support, advice, and care every step of the way. You’ll work with women from many different backgrounds, so strong communication skills are really important.

A full-time working week is usually 37.5 hours. Shift work is common, with unsocial hours covering nights, early mornings, weekends and bank holidays. Some roles in the community are regularly on-call across 24 hours.

As a midwife, you’ll be a childbirth expert with a range of responsibilities, such as

Providing full antenatal care, including parenting classes, check-ups, and screenings
Identifying high-risk pregnancies
Supporting women during labour and birth
Teaching new and expectant mothers how to care for their babies

Sometimes things don’t go as planned, so you must be ready to support women through difficult situations, and understand how pregnancy and birth affect women emotionally, physically, and mentally.

Video transcript: Video transcript careers in midwifery — Be part of something special.pdf[pdf] 53KB

Routes into midwifery

We have listed the typical routes at Mid Yorks below.

Table showing the routes into midwifery
Route	Information
BSc midwifery degree (university route)	Ideal for students finishing A-levels, BTECs, or access courses 3-year university course Entry requirements: A-levels (often including biology), T-level or a level 3 qualification in a relevant subject – it’s always best to check with the universities what qualifications they accept We recruit yearly (usually in October) through the joint local maternity and neonatal system
Midwifery degree apprenticeship	This route is not currently available at Mid Yorks, however if you are keen on exploring this option, we recommend searching for opportunities on the national apprenticeship website
Postgraduate midwifery course (for registered nurses)	Ideal for adult nurses wanting to switch careers An 18-month to 2-year course leading to a midwifery MSc or postgrad diploma Aimed at qualified adult nurses registered with the NMC Entry requirements: current NMC registration, nursing experience, and a health-related degree We usually run an annual assessment day for nurses currently employed by the Trust who wish to apply
Access to higher education diploma (midwifery)	Ideal if you don’t have A Levels A 1-year level 3 course preparing you for university Offered at many colleges, often with part-time or online options Upon successful completion you can apply for a BSc midwifery degree