Discretionary funding for the restructuring of the midwifery education programme

Project for the reform of midwifery education

Duration of the project

1.1.2026 – 31.12.2027

Source of funding

Ministry of Education and Culture

Total funding

140 000 €

This project will implement the legislatively required reform in a nationally coordinated and harmonised way through collaboration among all universities of applied sciences that educate midwives. The work focuses on renewing the curriculum, developing nationally consistent student selection, and redesigning clinical placement structures to enable year-round study. The long-term impact will be a high-quality, flexible and nationally aligned midwifery education model that meets legal requirements and evolving workforce competence needs.

Midwifery education is a core component of Finland’s healthcare education system, as midwives’ competence directly affects the quality and availability of maternity care, childbirth services, neonatal care, and broader sexual and reproductive health services. The forthcoming reform and implementation of the Universities of Applied Sciences Act requires substantial updates to the structure and content of midwifery education. This project responds to that need by implementing the legislatively required reform in a nationally coordinated, high-quality and harmonised manner through collaboration among all universities of applied sciences that educate midwives. Joint development ensures national alignment, efficient implementation, and solutions that can be applied across institutions operating in different regional and organisational contexts.

Objectives

The project’s main objective is to deliver a nationally consistent reform of midwifery education in line with the legislative amendment. To achieve this, the work is organised into four mutually reinforcing areas: renewing the curriculum, developing nationally aligned student selection, redesigning clinical placement structures, and streamlining the study pathway so that graduation is possible within 18 months after completion of a registered nurse degree. Together, these elements build a clear and predictable education pathway in which learning outcomes, study scheduling, workplace collaboration and assessment practices support one another.

Curriculum renewal clarifies the midwife competence profile and ensures that the degree’s learning outcomes, course structures and core contents meet the requirements of the new regulation and current workforce needs. The project will produce a national curriculum proposal that universities of applied sciences can use as a shared foundation when updating their local curricula. This supports comparability across programmes, facilitates student mobility, and strengthens quality assurance and transparency in midwifery education nationwide.

In student selection development, the aim is to harmonise national admission criteria and procedures so that applicants are assessed fairly, transparently and in a way that reflects the competence requirements of midwifery practice. A shared proposal for student selection supports planned intake and helps ensure that selected students are motivated and well positioned to progress through an intensive programme. It also strengthens inter-institutional collaboration and reduces regional variation in admission practices.

Key areas for development

Redesigning clinical placement structures is a central part of the project, as workplace learning and supervised practice are essential for developing midwifery competence. The project will develop structures that enable year-round placements, supporting smoother progression and more flexible scheduling of studies. The objective is to produce an operational model proposal in which placement periods, supervision, assessment and partnerships with clinical providers form a coherent whole that serves students and placement organisations alike, while remaining feasible in an evolving service system.

The project will be implemented through three interconnected work packages:

• curriculum renewal,
• development of student selection, and
• reform of placement structures.

The work packages will deliver concrete national proposals and operating models: a curriculum proposal aligned with the legislative change, a harmonised student selection proposal, and a proposal for year-round placement implementation. These outputs are designed to be directly usable in education provision and to provide a shared basis for institution-specific solutions.

Long-term effectiveness

The long-term impact of the project will be a nationally uniform, high-quality and flexible midwifery education that meets the requirements of the law change and the changing skills needs of working life. Harmonised structures and practices will support the predictability and delivery of training, improve the student experience and strengthen cooperation with working life. As a whole, the project will create the conditions for midwifery education to meet future service needs and ensure the availability of a skilled workforce throughout the country.