Blend theory and practice to become a safe and competent midwifery practitioner.
Year of entry: 2021/22
B720
Y50
3 years full-time
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Prepare for a challenging and rewarding professional career.
We are expecting significant changes to this course from September 2021, to align with updated Nursing and Midwifery Council standards. We hope to announce these changes in the spring. For more information, contact dohs-ug-enquiries@york.ac.uk.
This course will equip you to be a safe, clinically competent, reflective practitioner and leader within contemporary midwifery, maternity, and healthcare.
Our course philosophy focuses on both the art and science of midwifery. Alongside developing your understanding of the biology of pregnancy and childbirth, you’ll gain the interpersonal skills you need to work with women, families and colleagues and provide compassionate care in a variety of social and cultural contexts.
Through a range of academic and practical modules you will gain skills and knowledge to enable you to provide evidence-based holistic, person-centred care. We keep our cohorts small, meaning you’ll have all the support you need to progress through your course.
By the time you graduate, you’ll be ready to become a leader in contemporary midwifery.
After completing this degree, you'll be eligible to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the professional regulatory body for nurses and midwives in the UK.
Theis course is also fully accredited by the Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) which sets standards to facilitate effective parent–baby relationships and choices regarding infant feeding.
99% of surveyed students were satisfied with "the teaching on my course".
National Student Survey 2020
for nursing and midwifery
Guardian University Guide 2021
At the beginning of your course, you’ll study what to expect in a normal pregnancy, labour, birth and postnatal phase. We focus on making sure you know what should happen, so that you can spot when something deviates from the norm.
In Year 2, you’ll study how to facilitate maternal and neonatal health when care becomes complicated by social, medical and obstetric conditions. You’ll also learn about the importance of evidence-based practice and consider the impact of professional and legal frameworks in midwifery.
You’ll focus on preparing to work as a qualified midwife throughout your final year. You’ll look at how to deal with emergency situations and consider service improvement.
As you progress through the course, you’ll start to value the importance of person-centred care. You’ll work with a variety of people across a range of community and hospital settings during your clinical placements, giving you the opportunity to observe and participate in midwifery practices with different philosophies of management and care. to enable you to promote best practice and develop a personal philosophy for midwifery.
The course is divided equally into theory and practice. You’ll start in your first placement in your first term at York, and continue working with our partners across the region throughout your course, experiencing a wide range of localities and practice settings. You’ll be supported and supervised by a clinical midwife mentor in all of your placements.
At the end of Year 1 you'll undertake a medical or surgical four week placement to develop some generic nursing skills that are transferable to midwifery practice.
In addition to the above you will also need to complete our online Academic Integrity module.
This module covers some of the essential skills and knowledge which will help you to study independently and produce work of a high academic standard which is vital for success at York.
This module will:
At the end of Year 2, you'll have the opportunity to go anywhere in the world on elective placement for four weeks to learn about midwifery in different settings. Some students choose to do two two-week placements.
During your third year you'll begin case loading for a small number of women you care for. This will enable you to care for women throughout the pregnancy and childbirth continuum.
Please note, modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff.
Every course at York has been designed to provide clear and ambitious learning outcomes. These learning outcomes give you an understanding of what you will be able to do at the end of the course. We develop each course by designing modules that grow your abilities towards the learning outcomes and help you to explain what you can offer to employers. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.
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Coming to York was most definitely the right decision for me. I enjoy the block placements and university time, I feel we are able to better put into practice the skills and knowledge while it’s still all fresh!Jenna, BA Midwifery
The fees and funding figures below are for 2021/22 entry. If you take a year abroad or year in industry you'll pay a reduced rate of fees for that year
| UK (home) | International and EU |
|---|---|
| £9,250 | £22,650 |
UK (home) or international fees? The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status
For more information about tuition fees, any reduced fees for study abroad and work placement years, scholarships, tuition fee loans, maintenance loans and living costs see undergraduate fees and funding.
You'll have to meet the costs of uniform replacement or missed occupational health appointments. You'll also have to pay for Professional Association Fees (Indemnity) which is covered in the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) or Unison Student Membership which is approximately £30.
You may also have to meet costs related to your elective placement, depending on what you choose to do.
Uniform provision, Occupational Health Screening, and Disclosure and Barring Service checks are included in your fees.
We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2021/22 throughout the year.
From September 2020, all nursing and midwifery students will receive a payment of at least £5,000 a year (gov.uk) to support your academic studies. This is on top of the standard government support for tuition fees and living costs and doesn't need to be paid back.
You can use our living costs guide to help plan your budget. It covers additional costs that are not included in your tuition fee such as expenses for accommodation and study materials.
“Students from all backgrounds achieve consistently outstanding outcomes”
The TEF Panel, Office for Students, June 2018
Our Gold Teaching Excellence Framework award demonstrates our commitment to the delivery of consistently outstanding teaching and learning for our students.
You’ll study and learn with academics who are active researchers, experts in their field and have a passion for their subjects. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.
Impact of coronavirus (COVID-19)
We hope to deliver this course as advertised for 2021/22 entry, but it’s unclear when we’ll be able to return to a normal timetable. For an idea of how this course might be affected, see our changes for 2020/21 entry.
Teaching takes place over 45 weeks each year. This is split equally between campus-based theory sessions and practice placements with one of our clinical partners. Generally each week will be focused on either theory or practice.
We’ve designed the course so that you gradually take on more placement hours as you progress through your first year. At the beginning of the year, you’ll spend more time in theory sessions before moving onto a heavier practice load.
Theory sessions can take many different forms, from lectures and group work to presentations and simulation-based education. You’ll experience all of these throughout your time at York.
You’ll benefit from tutor support and guidance and experience high quality teaching in excellent facilities to help you get the very best out of your time in York.
You'll complete placements during each year of your course. These placements will take place in a range of different maternity settings, giving you the chance to try out all of the skills you've learned in your classes and perfected in our clinical simulation unit.
You'll also develop your emotional intelligence through working with real patients and supporting them through their time in your care.
We're committed to making sure you get the most out of your time in placements, and so you’ll be supported by a mentor throughout your course.
In your first year, you can expect:
| Theory sessions | 21-28 hours per week Theory weeks only |
|---|---|
| Placement | 37.5 hours per week Practice weeks only |
| Supervision | 2 hours per term |
These figures are based on an average student in an average week. Your contact hours will vary throughout the year due to your module choices, non-compulsory classes, exam periods and changes to scheduled activities.
Outside your timetabled hours, you'll study independently. This may include preparation for classes, follow-up work, wider reading, practise completion of assessment tasks, or revision.
You’ll have access to our Clinical Simulation Unit (CSU) throughout your course. This is a set of rooms designed to look just like a hospital ward, complete with a range of equipment for you to practise on. The CSU is a safe and supportive environment where you can enhance your clinical skills to support you in midwifery practice.
You will be based in the Department of Health Sciences on Campus West. Most of your contact hours will be in Alcuin college, with some additional teaching at various other locations on Campus West.
Your practice experience will cover the whole of the region and you will work with our partners across York NHS Foundation Trust, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust and South Tees Trust, as well as other practice providers. You will have to fund travel costs to placements, although you may be eligible for some travel cost reimbursement.
Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around campus - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can always use the fast and frequent bus service.
We use a diverse range of assessment methods to demonstrate your learning outcomes. These include, exams, essays, poster presentation, objective simulated clinical examinations and use of the virtual learning environment (VLE) and vivas.
You’ll submit summative work, which counts towards your final degree score, and formative work, which doesn’t count towards your final grade but gives you the chance to practice techniques and receive valuable feedback. We’ll provide detailed feedback on the work you submit, supporting you as you improve and refine your work.
In your final year, you will write a 10,000 word dissertation on a topic of your choice related to midwifery practice.
By the time you graduate, you’ll be ready to start work as a qualified midwife. Many of our graduates go into careers with NHS Trusts in North Yorkshire or pursue other national and international opportunities.
| Qualification | Typical offer |
|---|---|
| A levels | ABB We do not accept General Studies or Critical Thinking |
| Access to Higher Education Diploma | Pass 60 credits with at least 45 credits achieved at Level 3. You must achieve 30 level 3 credits at distinction and 15 level 3 credits at merit. At least 15 level 3 credits should be in science subjects. We will not normally consider applicants who have progressed to an access course within three years of taking A levels and failing to achieve the necessary grades for entry to the course. |
| BTEC National Extended Diploma | DDM For the Diploma in Early Years or Certificate in Early Years (Theory and Practical), we require DDD. |
| Cambridge Pre-U | D3, M2, M2 |
| European Baccalaureate | 75% overall average |
| International Baccalaureate | 34 |
| Other qualifications | Other qualifications are accepted by the University. Please contact the department for more information. |
| Other international qualifications | Equivalent qualifications from your country |
You should also hold GCSE English Language, Maths and Science (at Grade C/4 or above) or equivalent qualifications.
Meeting the following additional criteria may qualify you for an alternative offer.
| Criteria | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| Widening participation | If you successfully complete one of the following programmes, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to two A level grades (or equivalent) below our typical offer: Next Step York, Realising Opportunities, YESS. More about widening participation. |
| Contextual offers | If you have experience of local authority care or live in an area with low progression to university, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to one A level grade (or equivalent) below our typical offer. More about contextual offers. |
| EPQ | If you achieve C or higher at EPQ, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to one A level grade (or equivalent) below our typical offer. |
| Core Maths | If you achieve B or higher in Core Maths, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to one A level grade (or equivalent) below our typical offer. |
If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:
| Qualification | Minimum requirement |
|---|---|
| IELTS | 7.0, with a minimum of 7.0 in each component |
| GCSE/IGCSE/O level English Language (as a first or second language) | Grade C |
For more information see our undergraduate English language requirements.
You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.
The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.
After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.
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