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Accessibility & LanguageNursing: Midwifery (HDip)
Higher Diploma in Midwifery
Course Overview
The Higher Diploma in Midwifery is for registered general nurses who wish to pursue a career in midwifery. The programme builds on students’ prior professional, academic and personal experiences. Following successful completion of the programme, students are competent to fulfil the role of the midwife as outlined by the International Confederation of Midwives and are eligible to apply to register as a midwife with Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).
*Next intake will be September 2025–March 2027, and the one after that will be February 2027 – August 2028
Applications and Selections
See https://www.hse.ie/eng/staff/jobs/job-search/nursing/midwifery/ for application details.
Prospective students are required to complete an online application form and those who meet the eligibility criteria are invited for interview. The course is advertised on the HSE website, in social media, newspapers, and information is provided on the School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Galway website.
Find out more about the course by downloading this midwifery leaflet.
Who Teaches this Course
- Caroline Keegan
PhD,PGDip,MSc,BSc,DipHE,RGN,RM,RNT
Professor of Health Research Methodology School of Nursing and Midwifery
Aras Moyola
University of Galway
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M.Sc. B.Sc. PgDip
Senior Lecturer School of Nursing and Midwifery
University of Galway
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PhD.
Lecturer Above The Bar SCHOOL OF NURSING & MIDWIFERY
Room 235 1st Floor
Aras Moyola
Central Campus
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Requirements and Assessment
Key Facts
Entry Requirements
Applicants must be registered on the General Division of the Register of Nurses maintained by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland.
Additional Requirements
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
Recognition of Prior Learning for module exemptions is not available on this programme due to external professional accreditation requirements.
Duration
80 weeks, full-time
Next start date
September 2025
A Level Grades ()
Average intake
Intake 17
QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes
Closing Date
To be confirmed
NFQ level
Mode of study
ECTS weighting
90
Award
CAO
Course code
1HMW1
Course Outline
The Higher Diploma in Midwifery is of 80 weeks duration. The programme is provided by the School of Nursing and Midwifery at University of Galway in partnership with the Saolta Group Maternity Services. The course consists of 54 weeks of clinical practice and 26 weeks of theoretical content. Clinical practice is located at the Maternity units in the Saolta Hospital group and consists of placements in Antenatal, Intranatal, Postnatal, Midwife-led Placements, Gynaecology, Theatre & Recovery and Neonatal Unit. Theoretical content consists of the following modules: Anatomy and Physiology Applied to Midwifery, Midwifery Care I & II, Woman with Complications in Childbirth I & II, Care of the Well Neonate, The Neonate Requiring Specialised Care, Research, Psychology and Sociology applied to Midwifery, Professional Issues and an Elective Placement for Midwifery.
Curriculum Information
Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.
Glossary of Terms
- Credits
- You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
- Module
- An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
- Subject
- Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
- Optional
- A module you may choose to study.
- Required
- A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
- Required Core Subject
- A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
- Semester
- Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.
Year 1 (60 Credits)
RequiredNU6564: Midwifery Practice 1 - 5 Credits - Semester 1RequiredNU6556: Research for Midwifery - 5 Credits - Semester 1
RequiredNU6554: Normal Midwifery Care 1 - 10 Credits - Semester 1
RequiredNU6553: Anatomy and Physiology Applied to Midwifery - 5 Credits - Semester 1
RequiredNU6555: Care of the Well Neonate - 5 Credits - Semester 1
OptionalNU6566: Competency Assessment 1 - 0 Credits - Semester 2
RequiredNU6567: Competency Assessment 2 - 0 Credits - Semester 2
OptionalNU6567: Competency Assessment 2 - 0 Credits - Semester 2
RequiredNU6566: Competency Assessment 1 - 0 Credits - Semester 2
RequiredNU6558: Woman with Complications in Childbirth 1 - 5 Credits - Semester 2
RequiredNU6559: Professional Issues - 5 Credits - Semester 2
RequiredNU6565: Midwifery Practice 2 - 5 Credits - Semester 2
RequiredNU6560: Psychology for Midwifery - 5 Credits - Semester 2
RequiredNU6557: Normal Midwifery Care 2 - 10 Credits - Semester 2
Year 2 (30 Credits)
OptionalSP6150: Sociology for Midwifery - 5 Credits - Semester 3RequiredNU6568: Competency Assessment 3 - 0 Credits - Semester 3
RequiredNU6569: Competency Assessment 4 - 0 Credits - Semester 3
RequiredNU6561: Woman with Complications in Childbirth 2 - 10 Credits - Semester 3
RequiredNU6570: Competency Assessment 5 - 0 Credits - Semester 3
RequiredNU6562: The Neonate Requiring Specialised Care - 5 Credits - Semester 3
OptionalNU6566: Competency Assessment 1 - 0 Credits - Semester 4
RequiredNU6567: Competency Assessment 2 - 0 Credits - Semester 4
OptionalNU6567: Competency Assessment 2 - 0 Credits - Semester 4
RequiredNU6566: Competency Assessment 1 - 0 Credits - Semester 4
RequiredNU6571: Competency Assessment 6 - 0 Credits - Semester 4
RequiredNU6572: Elective Practice Placement for Midwifery - 10 Credits - Semester 4
Why Choose This Course?
Career Opportunities
There are career opportunities for midwives to work in various practice settings including hospitals, midwife-led care units, clinics or in the community, across different models of care. There are also opportunities to specialise in areas within clinical practice, or to focus more on education or research related to midwifery. For midwives who wish to work in another EU state, they must undertake a year of clinical midwifery practice in Ireland before they can register with any other EU Member State and practice in that country.
Who’s Suited to This Course
Learning Outcomes
Transferable Skills Employers Value
Work Placement
Study Abroad
Related Student Organisations
Course Fees
Fees: EU
€
Fees: Tuition
€
Fees: Student levy
€
Fees: Non EU
€
This programme is sponsored by the HSE.
Find out More
Dr Patricia Healy
T +353 91 495 421
E patricia.healy@universityofgalway.ie
www.universityofgalway.ie/medicine-nursing-and-health-sciences/nursing-midwifery/
