Higher Diploma in Midwifery

This programme is for Registered General Nurses who want to become midwives.  

The process of pregnancy and giving birth to a baby is one of the most important events in the life of a woman and her partner. Midwives provide support, information, skilled and compassionate care during this process, and prepare the woman and her partner to care for their baby confidently after the birth. While many women have a completely normal childbearing experience, some women and their babies have more complex needs. All women benefit from the care that a skilled and compassionate midwife provides. On this programme, you will be thoroughly prepared to provide high quality, reflective, compassionate and evidence-based midwifery care to childbearing women and their babies.

The Higher Diploma in Midwifery programme is designed to provide Registered General Nurses with education and clinical practice experience in the art and science of midwifery. The programme is highly structured, and progressive, building on the knowledge and experience you have already gained as a registered nurse, and helping you to adapt your skills to the maternity care environment. When you commence the programme you are initially prepared with foundational midwifery modules which provide you with a firm base for further development. Subsequent modules enhance your knowledge, confidence and clinical practice abilities. During the programme you also learn about the wider social, regulatory and quality assurance dimensions of maternity care, the place of research in developing a quality service, how to provide safe and effective midwifery care, working collaboratively and effectively in teams, and the importance of developing good communication and interpersonal skills in order to work effectively in partnership with women and their partners during the maternity care cycle. When you commence the programme, you are provided with the sequence of theory and clinical practice for the duration of the 18-month programme. All theory modules are provided in UCD, and a variety of teaching and learning strategies are used, such as lectures, group work and tutorials, some of which will be delivered online. You will also spend time in our clinical skills laboratory, where you will learn all of the new technical skills you will need before progressing onto clinical placements.  A variety of module assessment strategies are employed, to cater for different learning styles.

All clinical practice experience is gained at the National Maternity Hospital, one of the leading maternity hospitals In Ireland. You will have the opportunity to gain experience in all areas of midwifery practice under supervision, including community midwifery. You are provided with a preceptor during each of your clinical practice placements, and you are also supported by a programme specific Clinical Midwifery Tutor who provides clinical teaching at the bedside and through clinical tutorials.

On successful completion of all theory and clinical modules, you will be awarded a Level 8 Higher Diploma in Midwifery and can then proceed to register as a midwife with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). In the year following registration with NMBI, you may then work as a midwife in Ireland. If you wish to register in any other EU country, you will need to gain a further years' experience as a Registered Midwife in Ireland in all aspects of midwifery care.

This full-time, 18-month programme runs continuously over 4 trimesters. Students will alternate between 6 or 7 week theory blocks in UCD and clinical placements in the National Maternity Hospital. At the end of each trimester is an examination period where different kinds of assessments are held such as  objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE’s), MCQ’s and online exams. Some modules will also have coursework such as written assignments and posters. Full attendance at scheduled class in UCD is mandatory. Annual leave is allocated during clinical placement only.

All clinical practice experience is gained at the National Maternity Hospital, one of the leading maternity hospitals In Ireland. You will have the opportunity to gain experience in all areas of midwifery practice under supervision, including community midwifery. You are provided with a preceptor during each of your clinical practice placements, and you are also supported by a programme specific Clinical Midwifery Tutor who provides clinical teaching at the bedside and through clinical tutorials.

If you are successful in the interview process and accept an offer onto the programme you will be a paid employee of the National Maternity Hospital. The fees for this programme are sponsored by the Health Service Executive subject to certain conditions. More information about this sponsorship is available on the HSE website.

Programme fees are available at this link. You can search by programme title, keyword or major code. Please note that fees published on the links below are inclusive of the student levy, which must be paid by all students. Please note that there is a non-refundable administration fee of €60.00 payable when registering to the programme.

In order to apply for the Higher Diploma in Midwifery programme in UCD you must:

• Hold a primary degree in Nursing or equivalent
• Be currently registered as a Registered General Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).
• Have at least six month’s post-registration acute clinical nursing experience.
• Be successful in the National Maternity Hospital screening and interview process
• From 2 April 2018, applicants for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) who have qualifications from outside of Ireland must satisfy NMBI that they have the necessary knowledge of English to communicate effectively in their practice. Please refer to NMBI website:
  (opens in a new window)https://www.nmbi.ie/Registration/Trained-outside-Ireland/English-Language-Requirements. Please note that the National Maternity Hospital could request specific formal certification of English language competence as part of the application process.

The National Maternity Hospital is currently accepting applications for the Higher Diploma in Midwifery Programme. For an application form please visit the National Maternity Hospital website by clicking (opens in a new window)here

Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) applications must be submitted online through your SISWeb account.

There are two instances in which you can apply to have recognised prior learning taken into account when applying for a programme in UCD.

1. RPL for admission to a UCD programme

If you are a prospective student seeking admission to UCD and you do not meet the required admissions criteria as set down for a particular programme of study in UCD, you may apply to be admitted based on prior learning. Please click (opens in a new window)here for a link to the policy and guidance on admission based on experiential learning.

2. RPL for exemption from a module or modules on a UCD programme

If you have been accepted onto a UCD programme and wish to have credit transferred towards the requirements of the UCD programme of study, you may apply for RPL from a module or modules.

When applying for RPL, please note the following:

• You must submit your application for RPL as early as possible and preferably before you commence the relevant module/stage/programme.
• An application for RPL relating to a particular module should be submitted before the third week of the trimester in which it is offered. Applications made after this date will only be accepted under exceptional circumstances.
• Your application will be reviewed by the Taught Graduate Standing Committee and Programme Board. You can expect to hear of the outcome or status of your application typically within four to six weeks of submitting it (depending on committee schedules).
• Please note that in some cases your application may not be successful or you may not receive RPL for the amount of credit for which you applied, therefore you must register for, attend and participate in the module or modules until you have been informed of the decision of the School Programme Board.
• If your application is not successful, you are responsible for all assessments associated with the module.

TO APPLY FOR RPL PLEASE CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK:  (opens in a new window)https://sisweb.ucd.ie/usis/W_HU_MENU.P_PUBLISH?p_tag=APPLY

Please read the UCD Policy on Recognition of Prior Learning at this link: UCD Policy on Recognition of Prior Learning