May 14, 2026
NMBI is holding a public consultation on the Draft Post RGN Midwife Registration Programme Standards for Post RGN Midwifery students from 14 May to 10 June 2026.
NMBI is holding a public consultation on the Draft Post RGN Midwife Registration Programme Standards for Post RGN Midwifery students from 14 May to 10 June 2026.
As part of our role, we are mandated under the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011, as amended to publish the standards to guide the design, development, delivery and evaluation of nursing and midwifery registration programmes.
The Nurses and Midwives Act 2011, as amended, states that NMBI shall set and publish in the prescribed manner the standards of nursing and midwifery education and training for first time registration and post-registration specialist nursing and midwifery qualifications.
NMBI sets the regulatory standards and then the education bodies with their practice partners, write the programme curricula that map to these standards.
NMBI Director of Professional Standards – Midwifery, Dr Karn Cliffe said “Midwives play such an important role in delivering care to women, their babies and their families. The new Post RGN Midwifery Standards will equip midwifery students, within a supportive environment, with the knowledge and skills they need to work in partnership with women, further enhancing the midwifery profession for the years ahead.”
The new Post RGN midwifery standards and curricula will be in place for midwifery students entering third level from the Autumn of 2027.
We would really appreciate your views and we invite you to read the draft consultation document before submitting your feedback through the online survey. Further details are available on the Consultations page of our website.
Background
The Post RGN Midwifery Programme is an 18‑month Higher Diploma programme enabling registered general nurses to transition to midwifery practice. This is delivered at NFQ Level 8.
A national review on the undergraduate nursing and midwifery education, commissioned by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland and conducted by University College Dublin (RUNME, 2024), provides a comprehensive evaluation of the curricula that prepare student nurses and midwives for registration, focusing on the current structure and content of undergraduate midwifery programmes.
The review concluded that significant revision of undergraduate nursing and midwifery education in Ireland is required to ensure graduates are: - Practice‑ready - Digitally competent - Prepared for community‑focused healthcare - Equipped to work in diverse, interprofessional teams. As the Post RGN programme prepares RGNs for entry to the Register of Midwives, many of the same concepts apply to the Post RGN Midwifery Programme. The Standards for Entry to the register of midwifery are the same. Standards on a learner centered approach remain. There is an acknowledgment that Post RGN Midwifery Students are qualified RGNs and have acquired foundational transferable competencies through their RGN programs and post qualification experience. For this reason, certain general subjects outlined in the EU Directive 2013/55/EC Annex V, 5.5.1 and covered in general nurse training have been removed.
The Standards are aligned with the Registered Midwife Programme Standards (2025) and, therefore, are not included as part of this consultation.
Chapter 5 has been added to the Registered Midwife Programme Standards to set out the proposed changes to be implemented for the Post RGN Midwife Programme Standards. This consultation relates to Chapter 5 only.