Become a Midwife

Midwives work across community and hospital settings. They build relationships with women and their families across the antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal period. Midwives are responsible for supporting women through education, screening and clinical care. It is a highly skilled profession. A Midwife is trained as an expert in the normal physiology of pregnancy, this means that a midwife is well placed to pick-up deviation and abnormalities in the normal physiology of pregnancy. A midwife will continue to provide high standard of care in partnership with other professionals where necessary.  

The starting salary for a Midwife is £28,832 this increases to £35,099 within the first 2 years of qualifying. Additionally, a Midwife can expect extra pay for unsocial hours.

_{*All pay scales were accurate at the time of publishing in February 2024}

Midwifery is a highly skilled profession. Midwives work ‘with women’, advocating for women’s choice. Midwives are autonomous practitioners and provide evidence-based information to women and their families, supporting them to make individual care plans. Midwives are the lead practitioners for women with uncomplicated pregnancies, birth and during the postnatal period. We also work within multidisciplinary teams for women with additional care needs.  

Nurses however work with those suffering ill health, working alongside other medical professionals as part of a problem-solving team.

To be a midwife you will need a Pre-registration Midwifery degree from an accredited institution.

Additionally, you will need to meet our entry requirements to study the course. This will include an A Level, Access to HE, or BTEC qualification or Swansea University recognised equivalent. Students who do not meet the A Level or equivalent qualifications can undertake a Maternity Care HECert.

Qualified Midwives must also have 5 GCSEs at Grade C/4-5 or above or 3 GCSEs at grade C/4-5 plus a Double Award BTEC. Applicants will also need a minimum of a GCSE C/4-5 in English, Maths, and Science.

Midwifery degrees are 3 years in length, upon successful completion of the degree, graduates will be awarded with a BMID (Hons). Midwifery is a registered profession and upon completion of the program you will become a registered midwife.

To become a midwife in the UK you are required to have a degree from an accredited program and will need to study Midwifery at a University to do so. You can find out more about our Midwifery degree on our course page.

If you are determined and passionate about the profession of midwifery you will achieve your dream. Historically it has been challenging to get a place on midwifery programmes however, there has been an increase in places available over recent years.

At Swansea University we get almost 600 applications on average each year for approximately 40 places. This can make applying to this course highly competitive. As part of the application process we have a number of approaches to widening access and inclusivity, and for those who want to build on their qualifications and understanding of midwifery, we offer a Maternity Care HE Cert. This course will help students consolidate their skills and understanding of maternity and healthcare and act as a gateway to applying to Midwifery.

On the interview day, you will be asked a variety of questions which will help us assess your suitability, commitment, and preparedness to be a Midwife. Our questions will assess your knowledge and understanding of the profession and will assess your caring qualities and communication skills.

We are looking for students who:

• Have a knowledge of the profession
• Meet the NHS Values
• Have transferable skills from life or work experience which can be applied to the role of a Midwife
• Has the motivation necessary to meet the high demands of the course and practise of a Midwife

To prepare for your Midwifery interview you will need to have an in-depth understanding of the profession and will need to read around and do your research to improve your understanding. You will find some helpful information on the NHS Wales Midwife Career Role page.

Applicants should have a clear idea of the reality of the role and all the responsibilities of a Midwife. We will look for applicants that embody the NHS values, and have a passion for working with women and their families.  It is an important quality of a midwife to be non-judgemental to ensure the best quality of care for women.

Irish nationals and those with settlement status are eligible for the NHS Bursary. This includes both students from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (by the Common Travel Area arrangement).  Find out more about applying to Swansea University as an Irish student and the NHS Wales Bursary Irish Student Guidance FAQ Complete PDF.