Higher Midwifery Practice MSc

With concerns about rising rates of intervention, you’ll be encouraged to explore both how to promote normality during childbirth and how to care for vulnerable women with complex needs, with the aim of reducing intervention. The supporting optional modules will help you gain the knowledge and skills necessary for leadership roles in clinical practice or research.

Our midwifery team maintains an extensive engagement with international agencies via links such as the UK Network on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, World Health Organisation (WHO), The White Ribbon Alliance and the London School for Health and Tropical Medicine.

ARU is one of only a few universities in the UK to hold a Baby-Friendly Certificate of Commitment and stage-one assessment. We are currently working towards stage-two assessment and full accreditation.

We maintain strong co-operative links with midwife-practitioners - we work in all eight NHS trusts in our region.

Successful completion of this course will give you the potential to advance your career into leadership positions within clinical settings, or in the fields of management, research and teaching. You’ll be equipped with the skills and knowledge to become an innovative, forward-thinking practitioner, with the qualities needed to affect change in healthcare planning, delivery and education.

You’ll also have the opportunity to complete the course with an additional qualification as a Newborn Infant Physical Examination (NIPE) practitioner. Many of our Masters level midwifery students go on to complete professional doctorates.

Core modules

Promoting Normal Childbirth

Address one of the major national and international concerns about childbirth, the rising rate of intervention, and be provided with the underpinning knowledge and confidence required to modify this situation. You will be encouraged to develop your existing knowledge and skills by exploring the concept of normality and determining how this might be promoted during the antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal periods. Both international and local perspectives will be analysed, enabling you to apply your learning to your particular position whilst deepening your understanding of alternative situations.

Facilitating Complex Childbirth

Explore the role of the midwife in supporting women with complex social, emotional, and physical needs. You will be encouraged to explore both direct and indirect causes of maternal death and the role of the midwife in addressing these. You will also be expected to consider wider influences on maternal mortality and morbidity. Strategies for the maintenance of normality within such complex situations will be promoted. You will be supported in applying your learning to your own clinical practice and in developing your skills in caring for women with complex needs.

Research Methodology

The ability to critically analyse and synthesise research is a necessary skill for all students who undertake higher education, in order to be able to apply research in all areas of specialist interest in the delivery of effective patient care. You will revisit existing knowledge of the research process and be supported further in developing your skills of critical analysis and synthesis. You will also have the opportunity to critically appraise the ethical dimensions of research studies that seek to develop, improve and advance healthcare services.

The assessment is a 5000 word critical appraisal of one chosen piece of contemporary research and a synthesis of the findings in relation to other related evidence within the wider context of literature in a chosen area of interest.

Major Project

The Major Project is central to the Masters award and allows you to demonstrate your ability to synthesise learning from previous modules. You’ll use this learning as the basis for planning, conducting and writing up a literature review, using an enhanced approach to research or a work-based project. This is the opportunity for you to demonstrate your ability to raise significant and meaningful questions in relation to your chosen topic and a critical understanding of research methodology and its relation to knowledge. You’ll be able to develop solutions to ethical dilemmas likely to arise in your research or professional practice. As well as expanding existing knowledge to contribute to the development of best practice and critiquing primary research.

Safeguarding: A Collaborative Approach

Collaboration is hugely important at all levels and across all settings as it underpins excellent care and the work needed to deliver the vision.

This module is designed for a multi-professional audience who come into contact with the children of those from vulnerable groups, particular covering the areas of Substance misuse, Mental Health, Domestic Abuse and Safeguarding; this includes both practitioners and students. In the light of the Francis Report (2013) and others, the rationale of the module is to enhance your critical understanding of these subjects and in particular to understand both the need for and the challenges in providing a collaborative approach to meet clients' needs.

You'll be required to draw upon your practice experiences to identify and respond appropriately to cases/scenarios related to the core topics as an effective member of the multidisciplinary team. It will equip you with the knowledge to understand what the law says you and others must do or are expected to do and thus encourage good cross-agency working (Working together, 2013).

Applied Leadership & Management

This module provides an innovative exploration of leadership and management in healthcare, and examines their impact on organisations including wider considerations in the external environment. This module will enable students to assess and analyse the roles that leaders and managers play in a range of organizational contexts; and to apply the principles and techniques of leadership and management in a range of contexts.

You will choose one optional module. Other optional modules are available but will require attendance at campus workshops. Modules are subject to change.

Assessment

Assessment methods vary between modules and include written essays, seminar presentations with supporting papers, a research proposal and, for the Masters award, a major project of no more than 15,000 words.

All the assessment methods are designed to demonstrate the range of knowledge and skills expected of a practitioner working at an advanced level.

Dr. Claire Hooks - Course Leader

Claire has been a practising midwife for 15 years, with a particular interest in vulnerable women and drug misuse. Her expertise is in physiology, pharmacology, substance misuse, safeguarding and medical law and ethics and e-learning.

Claire trained as a midwife in 1998 following completion of a degree in Biomedical science, where she studied subjects such as physiology, reproductive physiology, pharmacology, neuroscience, neuropharmacology and toxicology. She has practised locally as a passionate midwife since this time in a range of settings; midwife and consultant led, with a particular interest in pregnant drug using women and vulnerability.

Claire's doctoral research used case study methodology and explored education as a tool in improving negative attitudes toward substance misusing women. Complementing her research she is a volunteer recovery worker at a local drug and alcohol charity; open road, where she has been involved in running a joint project with Essex probation service for women. Alongside the research Claire has an active role in both the undergraduate and postgraduate Midwifery courses and is currently course leader and admissions tutor for the MSc Higher Midwifery Practice.

Meet the team

An exceptional team of midwifery lecturers, all of whom maintain strong links with clinical practice, supports this innovative course. Not only are we able to offer a breadth and depth of expertise in advanced midwifery practice, but we also hold academic qualifications in the discipline of midwifery, supported by qualifications in anthropology, sociology and women's studies, international health, management and business administration, education, social research methods, interprofessional healthcare, primary and community care, and women's.

All lecturers are required to have a Master's degree and Postgraduate diploma in education. In addition to this many staff have completed or undertaking Doctoral study.

The research interests of the team include:

• organisational studies and the implications for professionals and care delivery,
• body image and effects on contraception,
• implications of examination of the newborn, neonatal studies including family dimension,
• all aspects of breastfeeding,
• clinicians' experiences of managing obstetric emergencies,
• historical analysis of intervention in midwifery care, and
• students' experiences of midwifery training.

The team also has a strong background of international experience working in the field of mother and child health in: Nigeria, Nepal, The Maldives, Ascension Island, Romania, Somaliland, Tajikistan, Thailand, Montenegro, Sudan and Afghanistan. We are able to offer a high degree of support to midwives from diverse situations (UK and International) seeking to develop their specialist areas of practice.

Our Higher Midwifery Practice MSc is studied 100% online.

You’ll study through Canvas, our world-class online Learning Management System (LMS), which can be accessed from your phone, pc or tablet at home or on the move. Canvas provides instant access to study materials, forums, and support from tutors and classmates, as well as enabling easy submission of your assignments.

On successful completion of your studies you’ll be invited to attend a graduation ceremony on campus. If attending the ceremony in person is not possible then we’ll arrange to have your certificate sent to you.

To help you land your dream job, our Employability Service will work with you throughout your time at ARU and after you graduate.

We offer:

• careers advice, including one-to-one online and telephone appointments with our experienced advisers
• help with your CV, job searches, applications and interview preparation
• an online portal packed with useful careers resources
• our Employability Programme, which helps you hone the skills employers say they want in graduates.

• Applicants should hold an appropriate Midwifery qualification and have at least one year's post-qualification experience of working as a midwife and evidence of appropriate continuing professional development.
• Applicants will usually have an honours degree or equivalent qualification.
• If English is not your first language, you will be expected to demonstrate a certificated level of proficiency of at least IELTS 6.5 or equivalent.
• Applicants will need to provide evidence that a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance has been undertaken.
• Applicants who have lived outside of the UK for 6 months or more within the last 5 years will need to provide a police check from the country/countries previously resided in.
• Applicants completing placements overseas will be required to obtain a police check/certificate of good conduct from their relevant country.
• As a distance learner, you'll also need a suitable computer with internet connection, together with sufficient IT competence to make effective use our online learning management system (LMS) with high-speed internet and email.

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements. Other equivalent qualifications may be accepted for entry to this course, please contact us for further information.

Fees

The full tuition fee for this course is £7,700.

The tuition fees you pay each year for the full Advanced Midwifery Practice MSc will be £3,850. The course is studied over 2 years.

Accredited Prior Learning may reduce the tuition fees. This will be confirmed once your application has been submitted.

Funding

Your course can be fully funded by the new Postgraduate Student Loans now available (subject to eligibility).

We offer payment by instalments, so you can spread the cost of studying with us.

For military students: You can use your ELCs towards this course. Anglia Ruskin University is a recognised ELCAS provider (number 1007). Please contact your Learning Centre for details of ELC, eligibility and how to apply.

For more information on how you fund your studies please see our funding page.