Midwifery Theory and Professionalism

Childbirth is a biopsychosocial process - a physiological process, but one which is always socially and culturally shaped and managed, and which forms a major social and emotional event in the lives of individual women, families and communities.

From this perspective, we examine changes in midwifery that have occurred historically and in recent years in response to social and cultural influences and changes, in the UK and internationally. These include policy directions, the formal or professional status of midwifery and the social and cultural contexts in which midwives work to support women in pregnancy, birth and the transition to parenthood.

Who is it for?

This course is suitable for midwives with practice experience from a range of nationalities and cultures – and may also be of interest to non-midwives with an interest in midwifery or childbirth and maternity care, from a historical, anthropological or sociological perspective.

Timetable

The total learning hours for this course are 150, which includes 30 hours of scheduled sessions, two hours of individual tutorial time and 118 hours of independent study.

There is a weekly timetabled session but much of the teaching online is asynchronous and flexible.

Please see course timetable for more details.

Benefits

By participating in this course, you will hone your skills in critical analysis and discussion of your own experience of midwifery and maternity care, as well as wider issues relating to policy, practice and the status of the midwifery profession.

This courseis worth 15 academic credits at QAA Level 7.

Credits

This course is worth 15 credits toward eligible programmes.

In this course, you will:

• Learn about concepts and theories relevant to midwifery knowledge and practice.
• Explore the basis of contemporary midwifery theory and practice through historical and sociological perspectives, as well as through the clinical evidence for midwifery care.
• Discuss past and current challenges and opportunities in the organisation and delivery of midwifery care, in the UK and internationally.
• Look at the clinical evidence for the value of midwifery practice and at theoretical concepts and perspectives which are useful tools for the critical analysis of midwifery and maternity care, past, present and future.

By the end of the course, you will be able to reflect critically on midwifery as a profession, on the range of influences on how midwifery care is provided and discuss implications for the future of the profession.

Teaching

The course delivery is highly flexible. Although there are weekly timetabled sessions, the learning resources can be accessed in your own time and for each topic.

Students are encouraged to participate actively in discussion and log into the course Moodle site regularly - but with flexible timing - to read and respond to the contributions of their peers as well as the course materials and key readings.

The learning in this course makes varied use of online resources including lead lectures in video format, topic workbooks, and links to wider reading and other resources.

There is a weekly timetabled slot for seminar or class discussion, as well as asynchronous discussion forums for each key topic area. In some weeks, individual tutorials will be arranged to enable you to discuss your assignment plans and progress.

Assessment

There are two assessment components:

• An online or face-to-face seminar debate on a key topic. Students will receive tutor feedback. Participation is not graded formally but is required to complete the course.
• One 3,000-word essay on a topic area of your own choice that addresses the course learning objectives, carrying 100% of the marks for the course.

Credits

This course is worth 15 credits toward eligible programmes.

Applicants would normally be expected to have been practicing as a registered midwife for at least one year, but other backgrounds may be appropriate, so please contact the course leader to discuss this.

English requirements

For those students whose first language is not English one of the following qualifications is also required:

• IELTS: 7.0

An online reading list provided in Moodle sets out core and recommended reading and enables easy access to reading materials. Additional and optional reading is also listed in the course workbooks and may be added to Moodle during the course in response to students’ discussions and interests. Core reading is also listed in the course specification.