Transforming midwifery education: The new Future Midwife standards
In this important presentation, Professor Mary Renfrew, Lead Advisor to the NMC for the review of preregistration midwifery standards, relates her own story of her career, highlighting the importance of research and evidence. She explains the development of the new midwifery education standards in the changing global context, evidence and policy. She focuses on the importance of transformation of care for women and babies. Mary introduces the concept of the future midwife and the six domains of the standards, providing examples of the proficiencies expected of students, to illustrate the changes.
Professor Mary Renfrew FRSE, Professor of Mother and Infant Health, University of Dundee; Lead Advisor to the NMC
Looking to be a student midwife resources
All4maternity journals and resources
https://www.all4maternity.com/
Byrom, S. and Downe, S. (eds) 2015 The Roar behind the Silence: why kindness, compassion and respect matter in maternity care London: Pinter and Martin Ltd.
Ellie Durant Midwife Diaries
https://midwifediaries.com/about-ellie/
Hazard Leah 2019 Hard Pushed: A midwife’s story
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hard-Pushed-Midwifes-Leah-Hazard/dp/1786331608
NHS Health careers website
https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/midwifery/roles-midwifery/midwife/entry-requirements-and-training-midwifery
Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) 2019 Future midwife project https://www.nmc.org.uk/standards/midwifery/education/
NMC 2019 Standards of proficiency for midwives https://www.nmc.org.uk/globalassets/sitedocuments/standards/standards-of-proficiency-for-midwives.pdf
NMC Becoming a midwife
https://www.nmc.org.uk/education/becoming-a-nurse-midwife-nursing-associate/becoming-a-midwife/
Become a student midwife – Mama Academy
https://www.mamaacademy.org.uk/professionals-hub/midwifery-resources/become-a-student-midwife/
Become a midwife – RCN
https://www.rcn.org.uk/professional-development/become-a-midwife
Midwives – Our Stories
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGkph1NtiNFVsyEzzce7rNy3z0Pv0Lq_p
The Midwives Series 2 Episode 6 Midwife in the Making
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wArCSnlbKeg
Ellie’s Journey to Midwifery
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2MBAyif117yw1BgKfe8h6w
Confessions of a midwife
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXRbUJeLR42AgnEX7c6t8Kg
Student Midwife Notes
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC08KLY4DA9mWwheUSgiwTrQ
Cindy The Student Midwife
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRwGw_dtjG4vEszYzXpQ6og
The Midwife Life
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheMidwifeLife
Sophie Charlson – The Midwife Series
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkmttkZIA2WXTqhB9zz3AWtjYffk_QRCN
Nadine Nayy -Midwifery
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa3GvuFvXEcy3lXPpZATjEX_3suAzJVrG
Student Midwife Char
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0pbGaoA5zGIBDEpwxT6_tw
Demonstrating your learning: Looking to be a student midwife
We hope you have enjoyed watching the video box set. The aim of producing this package is to enable you to learn about an aspect of midwifery practice which you will be able to use to improve the care of women, babies and their families. As a professional there will be times where you will need to demonstrate you have learned and, don’t forget that, writing down your learning will help this to be embedded in your memory! To this end we have devised some questions to help you progress. You may, of course, devise your own questions as well. These may then be used as part of your professional validation in the future.
Learning Outcomes
After watching these talks you will have:
- Explored new developments in midwifery policy and education in the UK.
- Gained knowledge about how interviews are undertaken.
- Explored preparing for selection for a course and creating presentations.
Reflective questions
- Explore the learning outcomes (LO) of this set of videos. What are the key aspects of the LO that are relevant to you and your scope and code of practice?
- Summarise what you have learned from these videos
- What are the feelings that have been raised as you watched them? Why you have felt this?
- What are the key pieces of research or evidence that you have learned about?
- How will this learning now affect your practice; the women, babies and families in your care?
- Are there ways you plan to make changes or take forward with others?
- What else would you like to find out about to help your learning on this topic?

Professor Mary Renfrew FRSE
Professor of Mother and Infant Health, School of Health Sciences, University of Dundee; Lead Advisor to NMC for the Review of Pre-registration Midwifery Standards
Mary Renfrew Mary Renfrew is Professor of Mother and Infant Health at the University of Dundee. A midwife, health researcher and educator, Mary has conducted research in maternity care and in infant feeding and nutrition for more than 30 years. She has previously worked in the the Universities of York, Leeds, and Oxford.
She was awarded inaugural Senior Investigator status with the National Institute for Health Research in 2008, and she was Principal Investigator for the groundbreaking global Lancet Series on Midwifery (2011-2016). Her work has informed and helped to shape public health policy and midwifery practice nationally and internationally.
Mary is currently a member of two WHO Advisory Groups, on quality of maternal and newborn care and on midwifery education. She was a Board Member and Trustee of UNICEF UK (2011-2017) and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2014, the first midwife and nurse to be elected to Scotland’s National Academy. Mary is working with the NMC to develop new standards of proficiency for registered midwives.