Professional, statutory and regulatory body (PSRB) accreditation

All professional programmes are required to be approved by their governing Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB). Each PSRB has its own standards for professional education that must be met in order for the programme of study to qualify for accreditation. To successfully complete a professional programme each student will be required to meet the required programme standards.

PSRB accreditation - Nursing

This programme is compliant with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards for Education and Training (NMC (2018) Realising professionalism: Standards for education and training).

PSRB accreditation - Midwifery

This programme is compliant with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards for Pre-registration Midwifery Programmes (NMC 2019). For further information and other relevant publications please visit the NMC website.

PSRBs and approval periods vary from programme to programme. If you require further information, contact your programme leader.

It is a requirement of the NMC (2019) that by the end of the programme students have had a breadth and depth of clinical experience. Students are therefore required to document that they have undertaken the following NMC requirements cited in NMC (2019):

Provide learning opportunities, across the whole continuum of care, that enables students to gain experience to:

• support and care for women during pregnancy, undertaking no less than 100 antenatal examinations 

• support and care for no less than 40 women in labour and conduct the birth. Where 40 births cannot be reached owing to the lack of available women giving birth, it may be reduced to a minimum of 30, provided that the student is given the opportunity to assist with caring for an additional 20 women giving birth

• participate in the support and care of women in labour and conduct a breech birth. Where there are no opportunities in practice to gain experience of breech births, proficiency may be gained by simulated learning

• support and care for no less than 100 women postnatally and 100 healthy newborn infants

• develop the required knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to support and care for no less than 40 women who have additional care needs or develop complications including those related to physical, psychological, social, cultural and spiritual factors

• care for newborn infants requiring additional care or have complications, including in a neonatal unit and

• care for women across the life course with additional sexual and reproductive health needs

The NMC have published additional information to support student midwives to review the recording of personal births - Number of births to be achieved by student midwives - The Nursing and Midwifery Council (nmc.org.uk).

Key points:

The aim of the birth standard is for all student midwives to facilitate 40 spontaneous vaginal births.

Conduct by the student of at least 40 births:

• Care should be provided throughout the continuum of labour.

• There should be a flexible approach to student midwives achieving their required number of births. For example, enabling students to follow women to meet their proficiencies and birth numbers when a spontaneous vaginal birth is anticipated.

• For cases of retained placenta membranes, the birth may be counted towards the 40 births if the student cared for the woman throughout all stages of labour.

• In the case of a twin birth, the births are counted as two when both babies are spontaneous vaginal births.

• A student may facilitate a pre-term birth or a stillbirth as appropriate under the direct supervision of a midwife.

Where 40 births cannot be reached owing to the lack of available women in labour, it may be reduced to a minimum of 30, provided that the student assists with 20 further births:

• The decision about the use of the birth standard caveat should be made at the end of the programme by the LME in discussion with the student midwife and the Practice Supervisor/Assessor.

• It is expected that a range of experience would make up the 20 further births.

• When a student needs to achieve 20 further births, the following can be considered:

  • A spontaneous vaginal birth where there is a retained placenta, and the student midwife has not given care during the third stage.

  • Assisting a midwife with a spontaneous vaginal birth to observe particular areas of practice.

  • Providing midwifery care during a vaginal instrumental birth.

Recording your professional qualification

It is advisable to register with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) as soon as you can after finishing your programme.

If you wait more than 6 months to do this, you will be required to provide additional information to the NMC (Nursing & Midwifery Council) as part of the registration process.

You should register within 5 years of completing the programme. After this time you may be required to complete additional education or training to be able to register.

Review of good health, conduct and character status

The Fitness to Practise Committee will review your records throughout your programme and prior to registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). It is your responsibility to notify your supervisor of any changes to your health or character status (e.g. cautions or convictions, pending charges) at the point they occur during your programme of study. You must then indicate that there has been a change to your health or character status or your professional indemnity cover annually whenever you re-enrol.

Towards the end of your programme, the Department is required to consider any issues that have arisen during your programme relating to your health and character which may influence your eligibility to register with the NMC. A process of declaration regarding good health and good character by you, the student and your personal supervisor is reviewed by the Fitness to Practise Committee.

If there are any issues of concern, on either health or character grounds, which may affect your eligibility to register with the NMC, the Fitness to Practise Committee will discuss this with you. We will then seek your consent to disclose information to the NMC and apply the Fitness to Practise policy where appropriate.

For full information visit the Fitness to Practise Committee website. 

Midwifery programmes only:

The NMC Standards for Pre-Registration Midwifery Programmes state that, in accordance with rule 6(1)(a)(ii) of the registration rules, the lead midwife for education shall be responsible, at their discretion, for signing the supporting declarations of good health and good character for all midwifery applications to the register.

If a lead midwife for education cannot be assured of a student’s good health and good character they must not sign the supporting declaration required by the NMC. The student therefore cannot be recommended for admission to the midwives’ part of the register.

Working whilst studying

The Department recognises that you may choose to supplement your finances by gaining employment. You are reminded that your primary commitment during your programme is to the academic and clinical requirements of the programme. You must not undertake paid employment at times when you are expected either to be on duty in clinical practice or in attendance at theoretical sessions in the Department (this includes timetabled periods of private study).

To comply with the Maximum Weekly Working Hours (Gov.uk) you should not exceed 48 hours work per week (averaged over 17 weeks) in relation to University practice and theory, (when both programme requirements (theory and where relevant practice) plus hours of paid employment are combined). Working in excess of this could result in issues of safety for students and those in their care.

You are also reminded that pursuit of paid employment should not jeopardise your ability to participate fully and safely in all aspects of the programme. For example, working a night shift as an employee immediately prior to going on day duty as a student midwife would be regarded as unsafe practice.

You should notify your supervisor of any employment outside your programme and requests for references from employers will be completed by supervisors following discussion with you. You are reminded that, when you are engaged in such employment, you are employees and, as such, are subject to the rules and regulations of the employer. In such situations you should not represent yourself as a student of the Department of Health Sciences and should not in any circumstance wear your student uniform.