Education

Approvals: Midwifery Programmes – Educational Providers

These standards and requirements set out the educational standards and requirements for approval of Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and associated health care providers (AHCP) involved in the undergraduate midwife registration programmes.

Higher Education Institute and Associated Healthcare Providers

The HEIs and AHCP(s) are committed to providing midwifery registration education programmes that demonstrate that the standards of professional midwifery education and training required by NMBI are in place. The HEI and AHCP(s) will demonstrate the following:

  1. All statutory and regulatory requirements of NMBI and European Directives are met.
  2. The HEIs and AHCP(s) respond to change affecting professional, educational, health, social and economic issues.
  3. The HEIs and AHCP(s) maintain records that demonstrate that each student meets the learning outcomes in the clinical and theoretical components of the programme, and records for the conferment of professional and academic awards.
  4. Processes for monitoring and managing student attendance, sickness, absence and attrition are fair, accurate and transparent.
  5. The organisational structure supporting the management of the educational programme is explicit.
  6. The programme leader or coordinator leading each programme team is a registered midwife with appropriate academic, professional and teaching qualifications and experience.
  7. A local joint working group which includes representatives from key stakeholders within the HEIs, AHCP(s) and service users should operate within an agreed memorandum of understanding.​
  • The composition of local joint working groups should reflect health system changes and be reviewed accordingly.
  • The function of the local joint working group is to oversee and monitor the implementation of the midwifery programme on a continuous basis, to identify and address challenges, and to incorporate changes to the programme which reflect best practice for the care of women, their babies and their families.
  1. The staff resource supports the delivery of the educational programme at the stated professional and academic level.
  2. Audit of both the academic and clinical learning environment should identify the number of students that may be effectively supported on the programme.
  3. Midwives involved in the delivery of the programme must have their names entered in the Midwives Division of the Register of nurses and midwives as maintained by NMBI.
  4. Midwifery subjects are developed and taught by registered midwives with appropriate professional and academic qualifications including teaching expertise and clinical experience.
  5. The HEI provides details of how students are supported in the clinical learning environment by the HEI. This should include an explicit description of the input of midwifery lecturers in the clinical learning environment.
  6. The HEI and the AHCP(s) have a mechanism in place for students to raise concerns about the safety of clinical practice and the clinical learning environment.
  7. There is a governance structure in place within the HEI and the AHCP(s) to ensure that such reports are followed up.
  8. A mechanism for staff development, including a provision for maintaining clinical credibility, which prepares staff to deliver the educational programmes, is in place.
  9. Educational resources and facilities (including technological support and simulation models) to meet the teaching and learning needs of the students to complete the programme are met for the entirety of the programme.
  10. The mechanism for student admission to the programme ensures that the stated entry requirements are met. The mechanism and conditions for students exiting the educational programme before completion are explicit and are met.
  11. The conditions required of students to continue progression and successful completion of the programme are explicit and are made known, in writing, to students at the beginning of the programme.
  12. Following any interruption to the educational programme, robust arrangements, which may include a period of clinical orientation, are put in place by the HEIs and AHCP(s) to facilitate the student meeting the educational requirements of the programme as set out by NMBI.
  13. Interruption means any leave, other than annual leave and public holidays, including sick leave, maternity leave, paternity leave, parental leave, compassionate leave, ‘force majeure’ leave and special leave.
  14. Student transfer arrangements ensure that the full requirements of the midwife education programme leading to registration will be completed.
  15. The mechanisms for student support, which include student services, personal and academic guidance, are explicit.
  16. The Registration Department of the NMBI is notified in writing of any student who exits the programme prior to successful completion of the programme.
  17. The HEIs and AHCP(s) provide an annual report on the midwife registration education programme(s), including the external examiner’s annual report to NMBI.

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