Curriculum Information

Document Version

QAA Benchmarks

Educational Aim

Learning Outcomes

Course Structure

Level 4 Modules

Level 5 Modules

Level 6 Modules

Teaching and Assessment

Learning and Teaching Methods

Employer Engagement

Visiting Speakers - Practice staff and service users will be involved in teaching, simulated learning, workshops and assessment. The contribution of visiting speakers is an essential and integral part of the courses where highly specialised care or differing perspectives are offered to students for discussion and debate. 

Volunteering - Not a component of this course although a number of students may engage in volunteering in their own time. 

Fieldwork - N/A

Fieldtrips - N/A

Work Placements/Work-based Learning -  The school collaborates with a variety of practice partners to facilitate a large range of practice learning environments, which support work-based learning. Practice learning experience comprises 50% of the course. 

Employer Forums - Each year the School holds a career fayre that brings employers and students together to discuss vacancies and employment opportunities in the NHS setting. 

Means of Assessment

Learning Support

Induction - Prior to the start of the course, there is an induction week that enables new students to gain an insight into university life and the services offered by the learning resource centre, study skills, advice zone staff, Student Union, and student services. 

At the start of each progression point, the students will be provided with an overview of the course content.  This includes the main themes studied, the type of practice learning experiences they will encounter and an overview of the theoretical and practice-based assessments. 

Students are required to undertake an orientation in each practice learning experience. Essential information will be given on the first day of a practice learning experience with the remaining activities covered by the end of the first week. This information is recorded in the Midwifery Practice Assessment Document. 

Personal Tutor/ Academic Supervisor - Students will be allocated a Personal Tutor to offer support and guidance with all aspects of the course for the duration of the course.  

The Personal Tutor will discuss the ongoing experience the student is having within their practice setting to enable the student to develop confidence and proficiency in the facilitation of their own learning and assessment of knowledge and skills of others at key stages of the courses. It is envisaged that the Personal Tutor will act as the Academic Assessor for year 1 and 3 of the course. The student will be allocated to another Academic Assessor for year 2. The role of Academic Assessor involves a close working partnership with the Practice Assessor to monitor student development and at pre-scheduled points, confirm the student has met all of the requirements for progression. 

Students will also have an academic supervisor to help them prepare for each summative academic assessment.  

Learner Analytics - Learner analytics will be used by the Personal Tutor and Academic Assessor to measure student’s engagement and progress and provide additional support as required. 

Office hours - The academic day extends from 09.00hrs to 21.00hrs. The Personal Tutor and Academic Assessor will discuss the preferred method of contact and their availability. Blended learning approaches requires flexible patterns of attendance across a range of learning, teaching and assessment modalities. 

Whilst in practice learning environments, students will be expected to follow the shift pattern required by the environments. There is an expectation they will work closely with their designated Practice Supervisor who will oversee their learning and explore additional practice opportunities to enhance knowledge and experience. In accordance with the NMC requirements and to facilitate wide learning experiences, students will experience and participate in midwifery care over a 24-hour, 7-day week pattern. 

Tutorials - Students will meet with their Personal Tutor and Academic Assessor to discuss their development and reflections on practice. These discussions will also facilitate the students’ application of core knowledge and skills to midwifery practice. 

Seminars - Seminars will be part of the blended learning and teaching approach.  

Formative Assessment - Modules throughout the course incorporate formative learning and assessment in order to support an ongoing dialogue with students as they develop their knowledge, skills and proficiency. Simulated activity in the Clinical Simulation Centre provides opportunity for students to become proficient in midwifery skills and procedures and to rehearse decision making and prioritising skills in authentic practice-based settings. 

In the practice learning environments students will be expected to demonstrate their knowledge and provide evidence to support their achievement of proficiency in the Midwifery Practice Assessment Document. The students Practice Supervisor will provide ongoing feedback in relation to the student’s development in practice. 

Progress meetings - Processes are in place in accordance with the requirements of the Midwifery Practice Assessment Document for students to meet with their Personal Tutor, Practice Supervisor, Practice Assessor and Academic Assessor to support students in setting objectives and to discuss progression.  

Supervision - Students will be allocated to a personal tutor to facilitate the academic and personal relationships needed to allow the student to maximise their potential during the course whilst also creating professional identity. Students will be encouraged to be active in the supervision process and will be supported by a number of different academics as they move through modules and across progression points. 

Practice Supervisor/Assessor - Practice learning experiences account for a minimum of 2300 hours of the course. The students are supported during practice learning by a Practice Supervisor and assessed during practice learning by a Practice Assessor.  

Practice Supervisors are registered health and social care professionals. The student may work with a range of Practice Supervisors however, they will be allocated at least one designated Practice Supervisor for each practice learning experience to provide continuity of their learning experience. The designated Practice Supervisor(s) will provide feedback on progression to the student and the nominated Practice Assessor and will contribute to the students’ Midwifery Practice Assessment Document. on the students’ professional conduct and working towards achievement of proficiencies.  

The student will have a nominated Practice Assessor who is accountable for confirming achievement of their proficiency against the proficiency outcomes in the Midwifery Practice Assessment Document. Practice Assessors must be Registered Midwives. 

Confirmation of achievement of proficiency outcomes must be completed by the end of the course as detailed in the Midwifery Practice Assessment Document. The Practice Assessor will collaborate with the nominated Academic Assessor at scheduled points during the course, to review the students’ progress and at the end of the course to evaluate and recommend the student for registration. Practice Assessors will make assessment decisions by drawing on the students’ record of achievement, periodic observations of their practice, feedback from Practice Supervisors, service users and the student’s self-reflections on practice. 

Each student will have a nominated Academic Assessor, who will collate and confirm student achievement of proficiencies and course outcomes for the course. The nominated Practice and Academic Assessors will collaborate to determine whether the student has met all the necessary requirements to recommend the students completion of the course.   

Online Resources - All modules are linked to UniLearn, the USW integrated system, which supports assessment, learning and teaching activities through technology. Video capture, podcasts and short video clips will supplement taught components of courses, providing context and additional learning to support student’s development. 

Advice Zone - Students are able to self-refer or be directed to the USW Advice Zone. Instruction on the services available and how to make an appointment are included in course handbook and on the USW website. These services are available to students whether on campus or in practice learning experiences.

Disability - The Disability and Dyslexia Support department provides a confidential and professional service where students can discuss individual requirements relating to disability. 

Advice and support are available for all students who have additional learning needs or require reasonable adjustments to be made. Students are encouraged to discuss additional needs or support with personal tutors, the course leader, Practice Supervisors and Practice Assessors. 

IT/Library - Students have access to all USW resources both on and off campus. The School has a subject specialist librarian available to help and support students. The midwifery team work closely with and value the contribution of the specialist subject librarian. Students have access to Findit, online resources and hard copy reservation. In addition, the School provides a range of learning resources in sites across its partner health service provider premises. 

Course Exit Points

Progression Route

Entry Requirements

Admission to the course is typically through the following qualifications:

Recruitment and Selection: 

The selection, recruitment and admission to this course is overseen by the Lead Midwife for Education (LME) to ensure that recruitment and selection of students is open, fair and transparent and includes measures to understand and address underrepresentation. Recruitment and selection of student midwives adopts the philosophy of values-based recruitment found within the All Wales Value Based Selection and Recruitment Document. The criteria for admission to the course is also underpinned by the NMC (2018) requirements as identified in Realising professionalism: Standards for education and training and NMC (2019) Part 3: Standards for pre-registration midwifery. 

Selection occurs through a review of the applicant’s personal statement and confirmation that the applicant meets USW and NMC requirements for admission to the course. If these criteria are met the student will be offered an interview with a panel that consists of an academic, practitioner and/or service user. The interview ensures applicants have fully considered the demands of the course and profession and are able to articulate some of the values needed for the delivery of compassionate person-centred midwifery care. The applicants are expected to be fully cognisant of the demands of midwifery practice and have the character and good standing required to uphold the values of NMC (2018) The Code.  

Entry requirements are assessed during the process of application, selection and interview and require that:  

• Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they have capability in numeracy, literacy and digital and technological literacy to meet the programme outcomes and proficiencies.  

• Applicants will have to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. 

• Applicants must demonstrate an understanding of the role and scope of practice of the midwife. 

• Applicants must demonstrate values in accordance with the NMC (2018) Code and have capability to learn behaviours in accordance with the NMC Code. 

• During application and interview each applicant will be asked to declare that they are of good health and good character to enable safe and effective practice. 

• Entry to the course is dependent on a satisfactory disclosure and barring check (DBS)  

• Applicants must be compliant with Article 40(2) of Directive 2005/36/EC regarding general education length. 

At USW the current standard entry tariff for Midwifery is:  

• A level: BBB excluding General Studies  

• Welsh Baccalaureate: B and BB at A level excluding General Studies  

• BTEC Extended Diploma: Distinction, Distinction/Merit  

• International Baccalaureate: 32 points (17 higher level to include Maths and English)  

• Access Science/Maths Diploma: 60 credits (15 level 2 & 45 level 3 credits - minimum 24 distinctions, 18 merits, 3 passes)  

• Minimum five GCSEs including Maths/Numeracy, English minimum C/4.  

In line with USW’s progressive University Admissions Policy the whole application, including predicted grades, personal statement and referees is considered. The policy details the range of underpinning principles that are applied, including:  

• Minimising barriers 

• Recognising talent outside of examination results  

• Consideration of diverse qualifications  

• Recognising students who do not have English or Welsh as their first language  

• Contextual admissions (updated January 2021) to strengthen contextual admissions categories as follows:  

• a range of adjustments for people leaving the care system  

• young carers  

• people in the lowest 20% of the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD)  

• people who are the first in their family to progress to Higher Education (HE) 

• People with a protected characteristic and those underrepresented in HE.  

All successful applicants must meet NMC requirements for good health and good character on admission, and as they progress through, and on completion of course. 

The offer of a place on the course is subject to a satisfactory child and adult workforce DBS check and occupational health assessment. Candidates who have a specific health need which may require reasonable adjustments are assessed by practitioners of occupational health in collaboration with practice partners as appropriate to determine reasonable adjustments.  

On commencement of course, students are fully informed of the requirement to immediately declare any police charges, cautions, convictions or conditional discharges or other determinations that their fitness to practise may be impaired. 

Candidates who declare any previous cautions, convictions or determinants will be considered on an individual basis by the School’s Disclosure and Baring Service (DBS) Panel in accordance with USW DBS Policy. 

During and on completion of the course the student is required to confirm good health and good character and submit the supporting declaration of health and character in line with the NMC’s health and character guidance. 

Inclusive Curriculum Statement

The University of South Wales operates a policy of inclusive learning, teaching and assessment to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to fulfil their educational potential. Course teams will have considered ways of designing out any potentially disadvantageous element of courses during the course design process. However some specific needs may remain, details about how to apply to have your needs assessed can be found at: http://unilife.southwales.ac.uk/pages/3040-disability-and-dyslexia-service/

Addendum for Delivery at a Partner Institution

N/A