Genomics is fundamental to midwifery practice and is now included within the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)’s standards of proficiency for midwives. It’s important that all midwives are able to talk about genomics with confidence but, for many, there is a need to upskill.
Whether you want to build confidence, knowledge or skills, there are a range of education and training resources to support genomics learning, though it can be difficult to know where to start.
In response to this, a specialist midwifery working group has developed the Genomics Learning Passport for Midwives to guide you through the key resources, starting with the basics and progressing through to specialist learning. The Passport enables you to create a bespoke record of your genomics learning journey in a format that meets the requirements for revalidation and has been developed by midwives, for midwives.
Learn and share
For more information about the Passport, how it was developed and practical advice on how it can be used, please see the FAQs below.
We encourage you to share the Passport with your colleagues. However, please only do so by sharing the link to this page to ensure you have the most up-to-date version.
Note: The Passport development team welcome your feedback. Please share your experiences of using the Passport with the team.
Finally, similar resources are being developed for both nurses and specialist community public health nurses. Please contact the development team to find out more.
Frequently asked questions
What are the aims of the Passport?
The Genomics Learning Passport for Midwives aims to:
- provide a user-friendly guide to direct midwives towards the key education and training resources for genomics learning and help support the requirements of the NMC standards of proficiency for midwives;
- create a personal genomics learning record in a format that is compatible with the requirements for revalidation; and
- promote key clinical and educational resources relevant to midwives that have been produced by the NHS England Genomics Education Programme.
Who is this for?
This resource has been created for all midwives, from newly qualified to highly experienced, whatever your sphere of practice. It is structured in three parts:
- Part 1 starts with the essentials and core concepts that all midwives should be aware of.
- Part 2 contains more complex focused areas of study, particularly suitable for midwives in specialist roles or those inspired to learn more.
- Part 3 directs you to further information and where to find out more to progress your self-directed learning, including information about postgraduate study for those who have completed parts 1 and 2, and want to progress to the next level.
Midwifery students may also benefit from using the Passport, but we advise you to discuss this with your tutor first.
How do I use the Genomics Learning Passport for Midwives?
- Download the Passport (see linked document) and save to your personal files. It is a Word document, so easy to complete and edit where necessary.
- The Passport introduces you to learning resources in a logical order, along with a brief description and estimated time for completion. The hyperlinks take you direct to each resource.
- Work through the resources that are relevant to your learning needs, at your own pace, and record as you complete each one. You can add in additional learning or delete sections not relevant to your level of experience or practice, to create a bespoke record of your learning journey.
- The Passport is based on the NMC continuous professional development (CPD) activity log and therefore meets the requirements for recording CPD for revalidation.
- Use of the Passport is not mandatory; however, we recommend all midwives complete the resources listed in part 1 to provide a basic understanding of genomics, which supports the requirements in the NMC standards.
- The recommended time frame for completion of part 1 is two years.
Although the Passport might look daunting to start with, we advise that you start with part 1 and focus on just one activity at a time.
Why was the Passport developed?
- The Passport was developed to support midwives in upskilling their genomics knowledge, supporting the requirements of the NMC standards of proficiency and NHS England’s Accelerating genomic medicine in the NHS to help achieve the ambitions of the NHS Long Term Plan.
Who developed the Passport?
The concept of the Passport was initially developed by the Central and South Genomic Medicine Service Alliance nursing and midwifery team.
The content of the Passport was initially peer reviewed by senior midwives working within the field of genomics via the national Midwives in Genetics and Genomics Network.
Subsequently, the Passport underwent two pilots using feedback from midwives working in a variety of roles and levels of experience, including those from clinical (non-specialist), specialist and educationalist backgrounds. This feedback was used to produce the Passport in its current version.
Will the Passport be updated?
Yes, this is the first iteration of the Genomics Learning Passport for Midwives. The Passport will be revised as new learning resources are developed. Any feedback you can provide from your use of the resource is welcomed. Please contact the Passport development team.
Does this resource have any conflicts of interest?
This resource does not conflict with legislation or regulatory guidance. It has been developed by publicly funded bodies with no conflicts of interest.
