Future clinical academic midwife

Professional priorities for the next generation of midwives are wedded to the notion of combined excellence as a colleague, scholar and leader. The aspirations for ‘future midwife’ described in the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2019) standards of proficiency for midwives suggest that midwives across the board are critical thinkers, able to problem solve, act as a role model and lead, and that such a skillset is key to building effective and safe midwifery services. In pursuit of excellence, midwives will be encouraged in scholarly activity and be able to critically appraise and engage with the evidence to drive improvement. The standards recognise that midwives will be able to develop careers encompassing practice, education, research, leadership, management and policy. Rospopa and Pezaro (2020) cite the commitment to academic achievement for midwives that is needed to realise this vision. However, a lack of clarity about how midwives can build academic skills and experience may threaten its success. Reflecting on personal experience, this article will discuss some of the pertinent issues and steps that can be taken by midwives to progress in a clinical academic midwifery career.