Midwifery

Midwifery is a profession that stands at one of the most profound thresholds in human life, supporting women and birthing people through pregnancy, labour and the early days of parenthood. Midwives provide evidence-based clinical care, emotional support and health guidance, and they carry significant professional responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of both mother and child. The role requires advanced clinical skills, the ability to make sound professional judgements under pressure, deep commitment to woman-centred care, and the personal resilience to work effectively in a demanding and sometimes emotionally challenging environment.

At the University of Winchester the midwifery programme adopts a spiralling approach to learning, building progressively on your knowledge, professional skills, values and transferable capabilities as you advance through the three years of full-time study. Time is divided equally between theory on campus and clinical practice in placement settings, ensuring that academic learning and practical skill development reinforce each other continuously. You will develop competence in antenatal care, intrapartum care and postnatal support, alongside study of the physiological, psychological and social dimensions of pregnancy and birth.

Clinical placements take place alongside experienced practising midwives, giving you direct exposure to the realities of professional midwifery in a supported and supervised environment.

You will engage with the legal, ethical and professional frameworks that govern midwifery practice, with pharmacology, public health and the social determinants that shape maternal health outcomes, and with the skills of professional reflection and evidence-based practice.

Graduates register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as Registered Midwives and work across NHS maternity services, birth centres, independent midwifery and community settings. Career progression leads to specialist, consultancy, management, education and research roles.