Do midwifery courses develop students personally?
Published May 05, 2024 · Updated Mar 04, 2026
personal developmentmidwiferyYes, but the details matter. Midwifery students report strong gains in personal development, and their comments show where delivery helps or hinders that growth. In the National Student Survey (NSS, the UK-wide final-year survey, analysed using our NSS open-text analysis methodology), student comments on personal development are strongly positive overall: 90.3% positive and a sentiment index of +68.2. In midwifery, students report strong gains in personal development (+56.9), but placements account for 17.8% of all feedback and placement sentiment sits around neutral (index −0.8). Across the sector, personal development captures confidence, skills and next steps. Midwifery is the subject descriptor used across UK higher education that anchors feedback in placements, operations and assessment. Together, these signals show how students describe their growth and what helps or hinders it.
This blog post explores what UK midwifery students say about personal and professional growth, and what course teams can do to strengthen it. Understanding students' perspectives through surveys, text analysis, and listening to the student voice in higher education helps staff support them throughout their education. Midwifery education aims to impart clinical skills and shape resilient, compassionate professionals. By examining the academic and personal development themes students report, institutions can tailor approaches that foster growth in this challenging yet rewarding area.
How does course content support personal and professional growth?
Course content in midwifery education shapes growth when it connects theory and practice, and makes development outcomes explicit. Integrating enquiry-based learning and structured reflection helps students build empathy, communication and judgement alongside technical expertise. Regular review keeps content aligned with what students need, including the emotional and psychological support their future patients require. The emphasis on authentic scenarios and reflection on practice develops professional identity and confidence, turning knowledge into capability.
What do placements contribute to personal growth and where do they fall short?
Placements accelerate learning and identity formation by immersing students in real clinical contexts with close mentorship (see midwifery student experiences during placements). They build relational skills and resilience through exposure to diverse cases and teams. However, the student voice shows that the placement journey can undermine confidence when allocations, schedules or information change without notice. Treat placements as a designed service: plan allocations early, set and honour a clear window for changes, publish a single source of truth for updates, and embed short, in-situ feedback to support reflective growth.
Which support systems make the difference?
Students value people-centred support. Accessible teaching staff, effective personal tutoring and responsive student services underpin wellbeing and progress. Prioritise timely, constructive feedback and predictable tutor availability. A named point of contact for practice learning, visible office hours and proactive check-ins help students navigate intensive periods and sustain their development.
Text analysis of student feedback helps teams identify where students need targeted help and act quickly. Tailored support reduces barriers to learning and strengthens resilience in a demanding programme.
How does self-directed learning build independence and resilience?
Self-directed learning develops autonomy, critical thinking and decision-making. Home study, guided reading and independent inquiry encourage students to manage their pace, interrogate evidence and apply learning in practice. Institutions that scaffold self-directed activity with clear assessment briefs, reflective prompts and exemplars help students connect effort to outcomes and carry learning strategies into clinical settings.
How do course structures enable or inhibit development?
Programme structures shape students’ capacity to learn and thrive. Balanced workloads, realistic timelines and varied teaching methods support engagement and retention. Small-group formats and interactive seminars invite questioning, strengthen critical thinking and build confidence. Where operations falter, development suffers. Assign an owner for timetables and programme communications, publish weekly “what changed and why” updates, and maintain a single, reliable information source so students can plan and focus on learning (see how midwifery students experience timetabling and scheduling).
How do diversity, inclusion and wellbeing intersect in midwifery?
An inclusive environment enhances belonging and performance. Students from diverse ethnic, socio-economic and gender backgrounds bring perspectives that improve learning for all. National patterns show small gaps for disabled, part-time and male students, so programmes should check access to development opportunities, monitor participation and target support to close disparities. Counselling, peer networks and active celebration of diversity foster empathy and interpersonal skills that are central to midwifery practice. Curricula that represent diverse populations better prepare students for the realities of care.
What lasting effects does COVID-19 have on learning and development?
COVID-19 reshaped delivery and expectations. Students and staff strengthened digital capabilities, and hybrid approaches now complement placements and skills teaching. Yet access and communication can still be uneven. Design remote and on-campus learning as a single experience, provide technology and connectivity support where needed, and keep communication predictable. This maintains momentum in personal development while preserving the flexibility students now expect.
How Student Voice Analytics helps you
Student Voice Analytics turns open-text feedback into focused, actionable priorities for midwifery. It tracks topic tone and volume over time, compares like with like across subject areas and demographics, and highlights where to act first, from placements and timetabling to organisation, communications and assessment expectations. Programme teams receive concise, anonymised summaries and representative comments, so actions on personal development and student support are evidence-led and measurable. Explore Student Voice Analytics to track what students say about placements and development, and to see which changes are most likely to move the needle.
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