Becoming a midwife is rewarding, but the journey to qualification is demanding. Student midwives must balance academic study with emotionally intense clinical placements, financial pressures, family responsibilities and, increasingly, uncertainty about employment after graduation. In this personal reflection, third-year student midwife Alix Morrison explores the challenges facing today’s students and argues that supporting the next generation of midwives means looking beyond qualification to the whole student experience – including financial sustainability, clinical education, belonging, representation and a secure future within the profession.
Becoming a midwife is often described as one of the most rewarding careers in healthcare. It is. But behind the excitement of learning to bring new life into the world is a reality that we do not always talk about enough: becoming a student midwife is demanding, financially challenging, emotionally intense and increasingly uncertain.
Student midwives are not simply university students. We move between academic learning and clinical practice, developing knowledge while simultaneously learning how to apply it safely to real women, babies and families. We are expected to build competence, confidence and professional judgement while recognising our limitations and knowing when to ask for help.
The clinical experience itself can be challenging. Students may care for women experiencing straightforward pregnancies and positive births, but we also encounter trauma, bereavement, safeguarding concerns, emergencies and unexpected outcomes. We have to learn how to support women and families through these experiences while processing them ourselves and then returning to university, assignments, exams and another clinical shift.
This emotional demand can be difficult to explain to people outside the profession. A student may finish a shift having supported a family through an incredibly significant or distressing experience, only to go home and continue studying. We are learning how to care for others while also learning how to care for ourselves.
Financial pressure adds another layer. The Royal College of Midwives has highlighted the severe financial pressures facing student midwives. Its research found that almost three-quarters of student midwives in England expected to graduate with more than £40,000 of debt, while 91% knew someone who had dropped out because of financial hardship. Students must also manage the costs associated with clinical placements, including travel and, for some, accommodation. The Government has recently introduced advance payments for eligible students in England to help with placement travel and accommodation costs, which is welcome progress. But the fact that these costs have been such a significant issue demonstrates how difficult the financial reality of midwifery education can be.
For many students, there are additional responsibilities too. Some are parents, carers or mature students with mortgages and existing financial commitments. Clinical placements and academic requirements can make taking on additional employment extremely difficult. Students can therefore find themselves balancing full-time education, clinical shifts, family responsibilities and financial pressures simultaneously.
Then there is the question that increasingly sits at the end of the degree: what happens when we qualify?
In 2025, more than eight in ten student midwives due to qualify told the RCM they were not confident they would find a job. In 2026, the RCM found that 31% of newly qualified midwives who had received their NMC PIN had not secured a midwifery position. Among those unable to secure a post, 61% were not working at all.
For a student who has spent three years preparing for a career, this uncertainty is deeply unsettling. We are told that maternity services need more midwives, yet some newly qualified midwives are struggling to find substantive employment. That disconnect raises important questions about workforce planning, recruitment and retention.
But perhaps one of the biggest challenges facing student midwives is learning to find our voice.
Students are often closest to the experiences that need attention, but it can be easy to believe that being “just a student” means our opinions carry less weight. I know that feeling. During my training, I became involved in campaigning around employment for newly qualified midwives. What began with raising a concern developed into national advocacy involving students, professional organisations, politicians and national media.
That experience taught me that student voice is not something that should simply be listened to at the end of a conversation. Students should be part of the conversation from the beginning.
There is also a challenge in simply belonging. Students enter programmes from very different backgrounds and bring different experiences, confidence levels and support networks. Some arrive knowing exactly where they want to go; others are still discovering who they are becoming. Creating learning environments where students can ask questions, admit uncertainty, receive constructive feedback and feel safe to speak up is essential. A student who feels heard is more likely to engage, learn and contribute.
We should therefore measure the success of midwifery education not only by how many students qualify, but by whether they feel prepared, supported and valued throughout the journey, and thrive safely over time.
If we want to recruit and retain the next generation of midwives, we need to look beyond simply getting students through their degrees. We need to consider the whole student experience: financial sustainability, placement support, emotional wellbeing, clinical education, belonging, representation and the transition into employment.
Student midwives are not asking for an easy journey. We understand that midwifery is demanding. We chose it because we care about women, babies, families and the future of maternity care.
But being committed should not mean having to navigate unnecessary barriers alone.
The students qualifying today will become tomorrow’s midwives, educators, leaders, researchers and advocates. If we want a strong future for maternity care, we need to invest in them now, listen to them while they are still students and make sure there is a sustainable future waiting for them when they qualify.
Because supporting student midwives is not simply about supporting students.
It is about protecting the future of midwifery.
The financial figures and employment statistics in this version are supported by current RCM evidence, including its 2024 student-finance research, 2025 student survey and 2026 graduate survey.
Alix Morrison
3rd Year Student Midwife
Bournemouth University
September 2026
Alix is a guest speaker on this week’s episiode of Maternity & Midwifery Hour focused on The Midwifery Student Jobs Crisis. Watch live from 7pm on Wednesday 16 September or catch up on demand.