Midwifery or child nursing
Please could people give me the pros and cons of both careers? Just want some advice on what to choose!
Reply 1
17
Original post
by MillieJ08Please could people give me the pros and cons of both careers? Just want some advice on what to choose!
Hi
If you want to be a children's nurse then decide to do that degree - as a children's nurse you'll be looking after children from birth up to there's 18th birthday.
There's more chance of promotion if you want to do that and take on the extra responsibilities involved with it with children's and adults nursing plus more variety of specialist areas.
If you want to be a midwife - then you'll be looking after women who are expecting there baby's either working in a hospital maternity unit or perhaps in the community but as a community midwife you'll be still responsible for any home births unless it's a sensible emergency then there's you'll be sending them to the hospital, as a community midwife you'll be working in the GP practice and also out in the local community.
A midwife job is unique and you make people happy when you deliver there new born baby 🍼 🍼. It's hard work but worth it when you see the new parents smiling and happy 😊.
It doesn't matter what one you chose as you'll still be paid exactly the same pay as a newly qualified band 5 , band 6 and above earn slightly more but not that much.
Progressing up the career ladder is your choice as it depends on how far you want to go as a nurse, the higher the band you go the more responsibilities you have to take on ( some people won't take promotion because of the little differences in pay). You can check out the current pay scale on NHS websites.
NHS registered band 7 senior charge nurse midwife
Reply 2
4
Original post
by Tracey_WHi
If you want to be a children's nurse then decide to do that degree - as a children's nurse you'll be looking after children from birth up to there's 18th birthday.
There's more chance of promotion if you want to do that and take on the extra responsibilities involved with it with children's and adults nursing plus more variety of specialist areas.
If you want to be a midwife - then you'll be looking after women who are expecting there baby's either working in a hospital maternity unit or perhaps in the community but as a community midwife you'll be still responsible for any home births unless it's a sensible emergency then there's you'll be sending them to the hospital, as a community midwife you'll be working in the GP practice and also out in the local community.
A midwife job is unique and you make people happy when you deliver there new born baby 🍼 🍼. It's hard work but worth it when you see the new parents smiling and happy 😊.
It doesn't matter what one you chose as you'll still be paid exactly the same pay as a newly qualified band 5 , band 6 and above earn slightly more but not that much.
Progressing up the career ladder is your choice as it depends on how far you want to go as a nurse, the higher the band you go the more responsibilities you have to take on ( some people won't take promotion because of the little differences in pay). You can check out the current pay scale on NHS websites.
NHS registered band 7 senior charge nurse midwife
If you want to be a children's nurse then decide to do that degree - as a children's nurse you'll be looking after children from birth up to there's 18th birthday.
There's more chance of promotion if you want to do that and take on the extra responsibilities involved with it with children's and adults nursing plus more variety of specialist areas.
If you want to be a midwife - then you'll be looking after women who are expecting there baby's either working in a hospital maternity unit or perhaps in the community but as a community midwife you'll be still responsible for any home births unless it's a sensible emergency then there's you'll be sending them to the hospital, as a community midwife you'll be working in the GP practice and also out in the local community.
A midwife job is unique and you make people happy when you deliver there new born baby 🍼 🍼. It's hard work but worth it when you see the new parents smiling and happy 😊.
It doesn't matter what one you chose as you'll still be paid exactly the same pay as a newly qualified band 5 , band 6 and above earn slightly more but not that much.
Progressing up the career ladder is your choice as it depends on how far you want to go as a nurse, the higher the band you go the more responsibilities you have to take on ( some people won't take promotion because of the little differences in pay). You can check out the current pay scale on NHS websites.
NHS registered band 7 senior charge nurse midwife
Thank you for the advice!
Reply 3
Original post
by MillieJ08Please could people give me the pros and cons of both careers? Just want some advice on what to choose!
Midwifery is rewarding but intense and very specialized, while child nursing offers more variety and flexibility but can be emotionally challenging—choose based on whether you’re more drawn to maternity care or caring for children of all ages.
Reply 4
Original post
by MillieJ08Please could people give me the pros and cons of both careers? Just want some advice on what to choose!
Hi,
As a 3rd year student midwife, I can say Midwifery is with woman more you give care to the infant for the shortest period throughout whilst children's nursing is care directed to children/teenagers. It depends what you see yourself doing. I would say both are emotionally and physically challenging and both courses come with placement shifts to complete.
Trenyce (Kingston Rep)
Reply 5
17
Original post
by MillieJ08Thank you for the advice!
Hi Millie
Apologies for the late response back 🙏 🙏 🙏
You are welcome for the advice.
Reply 6
Original post
by MillieJ08Please could people give me the pros and cons of both careers? Just want some advice on what to choose!
Hi Millie,
It’s great that you’re thinking carefully about your future and weighing up your options between Midwifery and Children’s Nursing, both are incredibly rewarding careers that make a real difference in people’s lives. At London South Bank University (LSBU), we offer both the BSc (Hons) Midwifery (3 years) and the BSc (Hons) Children’s Nursing, so whichever path you choose, you’ll be studying in a supportive, professional environment with strong NHS partnerships.
Midwifery is perfect for those who are passionate about supporting women and families through pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood. You’ll build close, trusting relationships with families and play a key role during one of the most important times in their lives. The work can be demanding and emotionally intense, shifts can be long, and every day is different, but it’s deeply fulfilling and offers great professional autonomy. LSBU’s Midwifery degree is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which means you’ll graduate ready to register and work as a qualified midwife in the UK.
Children’s Nursing, on the other hand, focuses on caring for babies, children, and young people across a range of healthcare settings, from hospitals to community care. It’s an ideal choice if you’re drawn to supporting children’s health and wellbeing and want to work closely with families to provide both physical and emotional care. It can be fast-paced and challenging, but also extremely rewarding. LSBU’s BSc (Hons) Children’s Nursing is also NMC-accredited, and students benefit from excellent placements with London hospitals and community healthcare providers.
Both career paths offer secure employment prospects and the opportunity to progress into specialist or leadership roles. The main difference comes down to the type of patients you want to care for and the environments you’d like to work in.
To help you decide, I’d really encourage you to attend one of our Open Day on 15th November. You’ll be able to speak directly with lecturers, current students, and healthcare professionals who can share what studying and working in each field is really like.
👉 You can sign up here: LSBU Open Day.
👉 You can also chat with our students through our Unibuddy platform: Chat with our students.
Whatever you choose, both Midwifery and Children’s Nursing at LSBU will give you the skills, confidence, and experience to build a meaningful and successful career in healthcare.
Reply 7
Original post
by MillieJ08Please could people give me the pros and cons of both careers? Just want some advice on what to choose!
Hi @MillieJ08 - two great careers to choose from!
An Open Day is a great way to experience both of the careers, with our hands on, immersive approach to learning and discovery. Our next Open Day is on 22 November 2025 at our Centre for Health Innovation. You can book your place here: https://www.staffs.ac.uk/visit/stafford/open-days
In the meantime, you can find out more from our student midwives and student nurses over on YouTube:
The role of a Midwife and a Child Nursing demo to give you a flavour of what both courses offer at University of Staffordshire:
Our student nurses and lecturers also shared some of their top tips for your application on Instagram and The Student Room: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7635171
If you have any questions, we're happy to chat!
(edited 1 month ago)
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