Cares for pregnant women during pregnancy, birth and after birth. Midwifery is a separate profession from nursing.
Work Environment
Videos & Interviews
Videos on the Web
- Midwife - from: Youtube Search
- Nurse / Midwife Prescriber - from: HSE [Video]
The Work
Midwifery is a hugely rewarding career providing much in terms of job satisfaction. As a midwife you will be with parents at the most special time of their lives and be involved in welcoming their new baby to the world.
During training, student midwives develop professional knowledge, skills and behaviours so that they are prepared when qualified, to provide care for women and newborn babies throughout pregnancy, childbirth and up to six weeks from birth.
Midwifery is not the same as nursing—it is a separate profession with different roles, philosophy, scope, education, and standards. Some of the values in midwifery include; childbirth is a profound experience, the woman is the primary decision maker in her care and childbirth is usually a normal physiological process.
It is an exciting time to be a midwife in Ireland with lots of progress being made with the implementation of Ireland’s National Maternity Strategy and you will be part of a team providing safer and better maternity care and improved choice for women
From the start of your training, you will actively participate in giving care appropriate to your level of knowledge and practical experience, with the supervision and direction of a registered midwife. In partnership with women, you will learn how to give professional support and advice.
Midwives establish a trusting relationship with women and their families and aim to provide high quality care to women and newborn babies, whatever their situation. As a midwife, you will have an important role in providing antenatal care including assessment, monitoring the progression of pregnancy, health promotion and provision of parenting preparation classes.
You will monitor women and babies and support them during labour and their birth, detecting any deviation from the normal, and referring care as necessary. You will educate and empower women including on how best to feed, care for and bathe their newborn babies. As a midwife you will promote and support breastfeeding.
Where Will I Work?
You could work in a variety of settings: antenatal and postnatal wards and clinics,
birthing rooms, Midwifery Led Units (MLUs), community midwifery services, neonatal units and obstetric theatres.
Midwives can provide care in the home for women and provide homebirth services. Midwives work on their own and as part of a team of healthcare professionals including obstetricians, GPs, public health nurses and social workers.
Listen to Amy Walsh who is currently doing her Postgraduate Higher Diploma in Midwifery in the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin and hear a little bit about her career journey so far:
Further Information
Qualities - Midwife
Midwifery will appeal to you if you have an interest in pregnancy and birth, women’s health and care of the newborn baby.
If you have some of the personal qualities outlined below then midwifery is an excellent career choice for you:
- a caring, kind and understanding attitude
- being able to get on well with people from a wide range of social and cultural backgrounds
- being a good communicator and listener
- having good emotional and mental strength
- being able to act on own initiative
- willingness to take responsibility
- an ability to cope with difficult situations and to remain calm in stressful situations
Skills and competencies that you will develop during your training and as a practicing midwife include:
- Clinical knowledge, clinical reasoning skills and evidence-based practice to carry out the duties and responsibilities of the role
- Facilitate normal birth processes in hospitals and community settings including women’s homes
- The ability to practice in accordance with legislation.
- The ability to plan and organise yourself and your care for women and babies effectively
- Facilitate women to make individual choices about care
- The ability to build and maintain relationships and work effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team
- Effective analytical, problem solving and decision-making skills
- Excellent communication skills to effectively carry out the duties and responsibilities of the role and to present information in a clear and concise manner
- The ability to empathise with and treat women, relatives and colleagues with dignity and respect and uphold fundamental human rights of individuals when providing midwifery care
- A commitment to continuing professional development
- A commitment to providing a quality service
Interests - Midwife
This occupation is typically suited for people with the following Career Interests:
Social
The Social person's interests focus on interacting with the people in their environment. In all cases, the Social person enjoys the personal contact with other people in preference to the impersonal dealings with things, data and ideas found in other groups.
Many will seek out positions where there is direct contact with the public in some advisory role, whether a receptionist or a counsellor. Social people are motivated by an interest in different types of people and like diversity in their work environments. Many are drawn towards careers in the caring professions and social welfare area, whilst others prefer teaching and other 'informing' roles.
Investigative
The Investigative person will usually find a particular area of science to be of interest. They are inclined toward intellectual and analytical activities and enjoy observation and theory. They may prefer thought to action, and enjoy the challenge of solving problems with sophiscticated technology. These types prefer mentally stimulating environments and often pay close attention to developments in their chosen field.
Realist
Realists are usually interested in 'things' - such as buildings, mechanics, equipment, tools, electronics etc. Their primary focus is dealing with these - as in building, fixing, operating or designing them. Involvement in these areas leads to high manual skills, or a fine aptitude for practical design - as found in the various forms of engineering.
Realists like to find practical solutions to problems using tools, technology and skilled work. Realists usually prefer to be active in their work environment, often do most of their work alone, and enjoy taking decisive action with a minimum amount of discussion and paperwork.
Entry - Midwife
There are two pathways to becoming a midwife in Ireland – the undergraduate or pre-registration route (BSc (Hons) Midwifery) and the post-registration route (Higher Diploma in Midwifery).
ThePre-Registrationroute: A 4 year BachelorofScience(Midwifery) level 8, following which you register onthe MidwivesDivisionof the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) register.
The Post-Registration route-This 18 month Higher Diploma in Midwifery Programme level 8 is only open to applicants who already have a general nurse qualification.
Both programmes are currently available through:
- Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and DKIT
- University College Hospital Galway and NUIG
- Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital TCD
- Rotunda Hospital and TCD
- Cork University Maternity Hospital and UCC
- National Maternity Hospital Holles St and UCD
- University Maternity Hospital limerick andUL
Go to https://www.nmbi.ie/Careers-in-Nursing-Midwifery for further information on how to train and register as a midwife including:
- Programme: type, purpose, structure and competencies.
- Making an application: including CAO application, Higher Education Access Route (HEAR), Disability Access Route to Education (DARE), allowances and grants.
- Clinical and theoretical components of the Pre-reg Programme
- Entry requirements: health requirements, Garda Vetting, English competency, non-EU applications. Standard and Mature applications.
Post registration courses; Higher Diploma in Midwifery, Midwife Prescriber, Midwife Tutor, Advanced Midwifery Practice
Career / Professional Development
There are many reasons why you should consider a career as a midwife. It offers you the chance to make a difference from day to day. You will be a highly educated professional, with an honours degree and it is a career with excellent employment opportunities with many choices and possible career paths. Although the work can be challenging at times, you will be well supported in an environment that supports learning.
Midwives are the lead healthcare professionals for women whose pregnancies are uncomplicated. As a midwife you will also have the opportunity throughout your career to specialise in different areas of practice and care pathways e.g; working with women who have:
- diabetes in pregnancy
- mental health concerns in pregnancy
- bereaved parents
- supporting infant feeding and breastfeeding mothers
Midwives can also progress as part of their role to specialise in ultrasound scanning, be a prescriber of medication and have enhanced digital skills and capabilities.
Some of the titles for midwives who have either specialised or advanced in a certain area of clinical practice or who have progressed to management roles include:
- Clinical Midwife Specialist
- Registered Advanced Midwife Practitioner
- Clinical Midwife Manager
- Clinical Placement Co-Ordinator Midwifery
- Midwifery Practice Development Co-ordinators
- Midwife Tutor
- Midwifery Lecturer in Education Bodies (e.g Universities)
The National Office of Nursing and Midwifery Services Director (ONMSD) provide further information and guidance on supporting your midwifery career options.
https://healthservice.hse.ie/about-us/onmsd/careers-in-nursing-and-midwifery/
There is a suite of study options available following qualification as a midwife, some of which are at masters degree level. These include:
- Diabetes Care
- Perinatal Mental Health
- Neonatal Nursing
- Obstetric ultrasound
- Advanced Practice
Check out a list of current CPD on offer.
Last Updated: April, 2023
Pay & Salary - Midwife
Salary Range (thousands per year)* €23k - €52k
Your standard working week will be rostered up to 37.5 hours on a shift pattern, which can include nights, early starts, evenings, weekends, and bank holidays.
Other benefits include:
- Professional development and continuous learning
- Mentorship
- Employee Assistance Programme (Confidential and independent work-based support service available to all employees of the HSE including counselling, staff wellbeing and debriefing after critical incidents)
- Opportunities for career advancement
- Paid time off for holidays
- Employee recognition
- Rewards for years of service (increments)
See below link for information for information about salary:
https://assets.hse.ie/media/documents/Pay_scales_for_2.2.22_and_1.10.22_adjustments_V2.pdf
Data Source(s):
HSE.ie/ Glassdoor/ Indeed
Last Updated: April, 2023
* The lower figures typically reflect starting salaries. Higher salaries are awarded to those with greater experience and responsibility. Positions in Dublin sometimes command higher salaries.
View Salary information from Indeed.ie
Note: data not aways available
Labour Market Updates - Midwife
This information has been derived from the Solas National Skills Bulletin (2023).
The Slaintecare Action Plan 2023 highlights that an additional 4,592 nurses/midwives were employed in the health service since 2020; funding for an additional 149 posts for advanced nurse and midwife practitioners has also been secured. In addition, the Minister for Health has announced funding for 854 additional nursing posts.44 Over 3,000 new employment permits were issued for nurses in 2022, primarily for staff nurses. This reliance on supply from outside of Ireland has resulted in an increasing share of nurses who are non-Irish citizens (at over 30% in quarter 4 2022).
Vacancies for nurses appeared frequently in the vacancy data in 2022 (both DSP and OVATE) and difficult-to-fill vacancies in the Recruitment Agency Survey included for staff nurses, theatre, ICU, oncology, nurse managers. Supply from the higher education system is expected to increase, with the announcement in Summer 2023 of an additional 208 places on nursing courses to be made available in Irish higher education institutions and a further 200 places reserved for students from the Republic of Ireland, to be delivered in Northern Ireland. Nonetheless, given the duration of training programmes, demand for nurses is likely to continue to outweigh supply leading to a continued shortage, with replacement demand alone for such a large occupation contributing to continued job openings.
According to the State of the Register 2022 published by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) the number of nurses and midwives registered with the NMBI on 1/6/2022 was 81,431 of which 4,561 stated that they were practising in the division of Midwifery (NMBI 2022, register).
Useful Contacts - Midwife
-
Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI)
- 18-20 Carysfort Avenue, Blackrock, Co. Dublin.
- (01) 639 8500 LoCall 0818 200 116
- [email protected]
- Click Here
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Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director, HSE Dr Steevens’ Hospital
- Dublin DO8 W2A8
- 01 635 2471
- Click Here
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Regional Nursing and Midwifery Planning & Development Units
