Are you looking for a rewarding career in the Health Service?

Applications for the 2026/2027 Higher Diploma in Midwifery Sponsorship Programme  will open from May 27th to June 10th, 2026.

Midwifery is a highly rewarding career where you support women through pregnancy, birth, and the postnatal period while helping bring new life into the world. It offers the chance to build valuable clinical skills, work both independently and within multidisciplinary teams, and enjoy strong professional benefits.

Midwives recognise pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period as a healthy and profound experience in women’s lives.

Working autonomously and within a multidisciplinary team, registered midwives use their professional knowledge and skills to support women and their families while working across diverse settings, including antenatal and postnatal wards, birthing units, Midwifery Led Units (MLUs), community services, neonatal units, and operating theatres.

Midwife with mum and new baby

Choose a Career in Midwifery

There are 19 maternity units in Ireland and many more community and continuity of midwifery care services are being developed. Registered midwives can progress their careers with a broad range of opportunities available within the clinical, management, education and research settings.

There are two education pathways to becoming a midwife in Ireland:

  • Post-registration route for Registered General Nurses (Higher Diploma in Midwifery)
  • Undergraduate route (BSc (Hons) Midwifery).

We offer opportunities for continuing professional development (CPD) to pursue formal education, conduct research and take part in courses, seminars and training programmes – including study leave.

There are leadership opportunities and a robust Personal Development Planning (PDP) process to assist midwives to use their experience and skills to identify their professional goals and the supports required to achieve these goals.

Midwife and patient

Experiences from our colleagues

“Being a midwife, we are priviledged to be in a position that is at a point in a womans life that changes forever through childbirth” – Caroline Earley, Midwife

Midwifery colleagues offering their experiences and passion for the profession are:

Join them and be part of someone’s unique moment in their life!

Don't miss out on these incredible opportunities to enhance your career

Applications for the 2026/2027 Higher Diploma in Midwifery Sponsorship Programme will open on May 27th until June 10th

For more information on becoming a midwife in Ireland and the Midwifery Sponsorship Programme, visit our dedicated page on the Higher Diploma in Midwifery HSE Sponsorship and Recruitment Programme, or check the FAQ’s page.

Explore further information on getting started with a career in midwifery at NMBI and visit our midwifery job opportunities here.

If you have trained in Ireland and are now living and working as a midwife abroad, we would love to see you return to Ireland. Financial supports are available when relocating to Ireland to take up position with the HSE for a minimum of two years.

To ensure you are informed of all vacancies please register on the HSE Career Hub for weekly job alerts.

 

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