The Higher Diploma in Midwifery is a full time programme, of eighty weeks duration. It consists of twenty six weeks of theory delivered in the university and fifty four weeks of clinical practice placements undertaken in the maternity services of the West and North West HSE Region. 

The programme content and standards are set by the NMBI. 

Students undertake the following theoretical modules during the programme: 

• Anatomy and Physiology applied to Midwifery 
• Midwifery Care I 
• Care of the Well Neonate 
• Research for Midwifery 
• Midwifery Care II
• Woman with Complications in Childbirth I
• Psychology for Midwifery 
• Professional Issues
• Woman with Complications in Childbirth II
• The Neonate Requiring Specialised Care 
• Sociology for Midwifery 
• Elective Practice Placement for Midwifery 

Supervised clinical placements are provided in the following midwifery settings: Antenatal, Intranatal, Postnatal, Midwifery Led, Neonatal, Community Midwifery services (early transfer home /outreach clinics), Obstetric/Gynaecological Operating Theatre and Gynaecological areas. 

Who is this course for?  

The Higher Diploma in Midwifery is for registered general nurses who wish to pursue a career in midwifery. The programme builds on students’ prior professional, academic and personal experiences. Following successful completion of the programme, students are competent to fulfil the role of the midwife as outlined by the International Confederation of Midwives and are eligible to apply to register as a midwife with Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). 

Curriculum Information

This programme is sponsored by the HSE and the students are paid employees of the HSE for the duration of the programme. 

Benefits for the student: 

• Salary Paid  during the program
• Retain Incremental credit
• Retain annual leave entitlements
• College fees paid
• Access to all University facilities and services
• Continuous professional development
• HSE Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Excellent employment and career opportunities 

There are career opportunities for midwives to work in a variety of settings   across different models of care, such as; antenatal and postnatal wards and clinics, birthing rooms, Midwifery Led Units (MLUs), community midwifery services, neonatal units, and obstetric theatres. 

There are also opportunities to specialise in areas within clinical practice and work as clinical midwife specialist and/or advanced midwife practitioners. 

Registered Midwives also have many opportunities to progress their careers in management, education and research settings. 

For midwives who wish to work in another EU state, they must undertake a year of clinical midwifery practice in Ireland before they can register with any other EU Member State and practice in that country.

A significant component of the Higher Diploma in Midwifery programme involves 54 weeks of student clinical practice placements which are mandatory and required for registration as a midwife with the NMBI. 

These Clinical Practice placements are designed to bridge the gap between academic theory and real-world application, providing students with invaluable hands-on experience in the clinical environments. Clinical practice placements are also acknowledged to help the socialisation of student midwives into their professional roles. 

Practice must be at the centre of learning. Therefore, in all modules there is an emphasis on practice and students will be challenged to critically examine the relevance and applicability of the content explored in class to clinical practice.  Placement in the practice setting is considered central to this examination, as the practice setting provides students with the opportunity to test out theory in its application to clinical practice.   

All clinical practice placements will be supervised and mentored. Assessment of competence in clinical practice is undertaken by the preceptors in the practice settings, utilising the competency assessment tool developed by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland. 

Students on this programme undertake their clinical placements in the Maternity services across the West and North West HSE region including;  Galway University Hospital (GUH), Portiuncula University Hospital (PUH),  

Mayo University Hospital (MUH), Sligo University Hospital (SUH) and Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH). 

The aim of this programme, as stipulated by the Midwife Registration Programme Standards and Requirements (NMBI 2022:15), and the Midwife Registration Education Post-RGN Programme Standards and Requirements (NMBI 2022) is to prepare the midwifery student with the necessary knowledge, skills and professional behaviours (see International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) 2021) to practise as a competent midwife capable of autonomously carrying out all of the activities of a midwife as set out in the EC Directive of 2005 (2013/55/EC).  

The Higher Diploma in Midwifery Programme prepares students for entry to the Midwives Division of the Register maintained by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland. 

Academic staff teach the course from the School of Nursing and Midwifery in collaboration with specialist midwives from clinical practice. The Midwifery Lecturers include: 

• Dr Linda Biesty   
• Dr Miriam Brennan 
• Ms Caroline Keegan (MSc, BSc, RM, RNT, RGN) 
• Dr Patricia Healy
• Ms Heather Helen (MSc (Midwifery), BSc, RM, RGN)
• Dr Magdalena Ohaja 

The teaching and learning strategies include a mix of lectures, seminars, workshops, experiential learning, enquiry based learning, clinical skills education and simulation in our state-of-the-art clinical skills and simulation suite. We employ a blend of in-person, on-line and self-directed learning. 

Individual course work will help you develop independence and critical thinking while the group projects and collaborative activities will enhance your teamwork and communication skills. 

How Will I Be Assessed? 

Throughout the programme, your progress is assessed through a range of  strategies including assignments, exams, presentations, Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE), reflective exercises and competency assessments.

Dr Patricia Healy 
Midwifery Lecturer/ Programme Director for Higher Diploma in Midwifery
School of Nursing and Midwifery 

T: +353 91 495 421 
E: patricia.healy@universityofgalway.ie  

www.universityofgalway.ie/medicine-nursing-and-health-sciences/nursing-midwifery/ 

Find the Frequentlu asked questions for Higher Diploma in Midwifery Sponsorship Programme here:
https://careerhub.hse.ie/faq-higher-diploma-in-midwifery-sponsorship-programme/

Recognition of Prior Learning for module exemptions is not available on this programme due to external professional accreditation requirements. 

To apply for this programme you must be registered in the General Division of the Register of Nurses maintained by The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) or eligible to be so registered at point of application. 

Recruitment to this programme is managed by the Health Services Executive (HSE). 

•  https://healthservice.hse.ie/about-us/onmsd/education-and-continuous-professional-development/cpd-for-nurses-and-midwives/onmsd-sponsorship-schemes/student-midwife-recruitment-scheme.html#:~:text=Sponsorship%20is%20available%20for%20registered,first%20registration%20for%20the%20programme  
• https://careerhub.hse.ie/midwifery/ 

This programme is sponsored by the HSE.

The NMBI website https://www.nmbi.ie/Registration provides information on how to register for the first time, information for nurses who have trained overseas and the process to having your qualifications recognised in Ireland.