KEYFACTS.PDF

PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION – UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMES KEY FACTS Programme name Midwifery Award BSc Honours School School of Health Sciences Department or equivalent Division of Midwifery UCAS Code B715 Programme code MWBSBSC04 Type of study Full Time Total UK credits 360 Total ECTS 180 PROGRAMME SUMMARY The international definition of a midwife The definition of a midwife as adopted by the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) and the World Health Organization (WHO): A midwife is a person who, having been regularly admitted to a midwifery educational programme, duly recognised in the country in which it is located, has successfully completed the prescribed course of studies in midwifery and has acquired the requisite qualifications to be registered and/or legally licensed to practise midwifery. The midwife is recognised as a responsible and accountable professional who works in partnership with women to give the necessary support, care and advice during pregnancy, labour and the post-partum period, to conduct births on the midwife’s own responsibility and to provide care for the new born and the infant. This care includes preventative measures, the promotion of normal birth, the detection of complications in mother and child, the accessing of medical care or other appropriate assistance and the carrying out of emergency measures. The midwife has an important task in health counselling and education, not only for the woman, but also within the family and the community. This work should involve antenatal education and preparation for parenthood and may extend to women’s health, sexual or reproductive health and child care. A midwife may practise in any sett