Do midwifery students get the support they need?
Mostly, but the picture is uneven. In the National Student Survey (NSS), the student support category captures how services help students navigate course and personal circumstances and records 68.6% positive comments with a sentiment index of 32.9, yet feedback from midwifery narrows to roughly 52.8% positive. Students value people-centred help from staff and personal tutors, but placements and operational delivery often dilute the experience.
Midwifery students navigate a challenging blend of rigorous academic study and demanding clinical practice, so bespoke support must cover both. Placements dominate what students talk about, accounting for 17.8% of all comments and sitting near neutral on tone (index -0.8). Where universities design the placement journey well, students report smoother progression across classroom and clinical environments. Staff matter throughout: educators who combine academic guidance with pastoral support anchor a more resilient experience and reduce stress around clinical exposure and complex scheduling.
How consistent is tutor support?
Students describe high‑value relationships with tutors and placement supervisors who respond promptly, provide clarity on expectations and check in during stressful periods. Others report inconsistency, especially when seeking help to manage workload, fitness to practise concerns or course continuation. Programmes should set expectations for responsiveness, ensure named ownership for follow‑up, and build routine touchpoints so mentorship feels dependable rather than discretionary. Embedding practical signposting within assessment briefs and placement handbooks reduces avoidable anxiety and improves parity across cohorts.
Do flexible arrangements and accommodations meet students’ needs?
Midwifery students often juggle caring responsibilities and shift‑based placements. Flexible timetabling, recorded teaching and options to adjust clinical hours support progression, yet uneven implementation leaves some students without timely adjustments or mental health support. Providers should publish a single front door for support with service timeframes, offer extended hours and multiple contact routes, and prioritise accessibility for disabled students through proactive follow‑ups until resolution. Regularly testing processes with student parents and commuter students ensures accommodations work in practice, not just on paper.
What support do students receive during placements?
Students value placements for real‑world learning but report variable treatment and gaps in advocacy when issues arise. Universities should treat placements as a designed service: confirm allocations early, set and honour a change window, keep a single source of truth for rotas and learning outcomes, and schedule brief in‑situ feedback loops. Regular check‑ins, clear escalation pathways and non‑punitive reporting routes protect wellbeing and learning, particularly when adjustments are needed. Where course teams intervene early, students feel both valued and protected.
How does online learning shape the midwifery experience?
Online delivery increases access to theory and helps students balance life commitments, yet students miss immediacy for sensitive topics and practice‑linked discussion. Targeted virtual clinics, case‑based seminars and office‑hour drop‑ins from tutors and practice educators can maintain connection. Pairing digital content with simulation, structured debriefs and clear communication schedules supports continuity when placements or rotas shift at short notice.
Is career preparation and job application support sufficient?
Students want tailored, timely preparation for registration and first roles. Where universities provide structured CV workshops, interview simulation with clinical partners and targeted networking, confidence rises. Gaps include discipline‑specific advice on preceptorships, local labour markets and how to evidence competencies. Careers teams and programme leads should co‑design midwifery‑specific guidance, align timelines to placement peaks and final assessments, and provide iterative feedback on applications rather than one‑off sessions.
What should universities prioritise now?
- Make placements a core student support workflow, not an afterthought. Name owners for timetables and communications, publish weekly updates on what changed and why, and maintain a visible actions log.
- Remove ambiguity in assessment by sharing exemplars, checklist‑style rubrics and realistic feedback service levels.
- Strengthen parity of support by setting rapid triage targets, giving students a named case owner and monitoring time‑to‑resolution.
- Protect what works: quick, human responses and accessible personal tutoring sustain morale through demanding clinical blocks.
How Student Voice Analytics helps you
Student Voice Analytics turns open‑text survey comments into priorities you can act on. For student support and midwifery, it tracks topics like placements, scheduling, organisation, communications and assessment, with like‑for‑like comparisons by subject area and student demographics. You can drill from institution to programme and cohort, see sentiment movement by year, and export concise, anonymised summaries to brief programme teams, placement partners and governance without additional analysis overhead.
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See all-comment coverage, sector benchmarks, and governance packs designed for OfS quality and NSS requirements.
- All-comment coverage with HE-tuned taxonomy and sentiment.
- Versioned outputs with TEF-ready governance packs.
- Benchmarks and BI-ready exports for boards and Senate.
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