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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
After four years spent in lecture halls and delivery rooms, members of the first class to graduate from the new dual bachelor’s degree program in Midwifery were honored by the University of Bonn Faculty of Medicine on Friday, September 26, 2025 in a ceremony held at the teaching facility of the University Hospital Bonn (UKB).
For this special occasion, the 23 program graduates were joined in a lecture hall by their guests and representatives of the University of Bonn and University Hospital Bonn. Learning area coordinator Eva Simakoloyi opened the ceremony with these remarks to the future midwives: “You can rightly be very proud of your accomplishments, having started out in an apprenticeship but gone on to complete a dual degree program as our first midwifery students—graduating this very day. You are the pioneering class of midwifery at the University of Bonn.”
Significant advancements in midwifery
In winter semester 2022/23 the students started in the dual program, being already in their third program-related semester due to having completed the first year of apprenticeship. This structural change came as the result of the Midwifery Reform Act (Hebammenreformgesetz, HebRefG) of 2020, which mandated that midwifery training must have an academic study component. This makes the profession more attractive, based on an internationally recognized qualification.
In addition to traditional midwifery skills, the program content spans physiology, ethics, public health and scientific methods, so students are more broadly educated. This in turn promotes interdisciplinary collaboration while enabling greater self-reflection in exercising the profession. In the Bonn program, particular emphasis is placed on psychology and communication: “Midwives are the first point of contact for soon-to-be and freshly formed families,” explained Professor Bernd Pötzsch, who is Vice Dean for Teaching and Learning at the University of Bonn Faculty of Medicine. “We are pleased at having expanded the range of study options at our faculty through the midwifery degree program and being able to contribute to the successful continuation of the midwifery apprenticeship program that has been offered at the UKB for decades.”
The program is structured into theoretical and practical blocks consisting of lectures, seminars, hands-on skills training, simulations and clinical and non-clinical assignments. Written, oral or practical exams have to be completed at the end of each module. These lead to taking the state examination and completing a bachelor’s thesis as the final requirements. The curriculum will undergo regular evaluation for further development, particularly in these early years of the new program, to ensure that students are optimally prepared for the demands of the profession.
Graduate Nina Zegowitz had this to say about her experience: “I found the varied insights into midwifery that we got through working with the various practice partners highly enriching, as well as the interaction with other students during the skills units. I really look forward now to applying what I’ve learned in a practical setting while interacting with the clientèle.” Having just finished her degree, Zegowitz will now be working in the delivery room of the UKB.
Dual study opening up career doors
Upon successfully completing the eight-semester standard period of study, students earn both state certification for the profession and a Bachelor of Science. The latter opens up doors to new advancement possibilities, like going on to complete a master’s degree, doctorate or Habilitation on a research and teaching career path.
17 of the first program students received their bachelor’s diplomas at the ceremony, while the rest of them are still awaiting final thesis grading since the submission deadline is on September 30. Students were joined on stage at the diploma presentation ceremony by their teachers, who—having played a key role in their education—congratulated them and handed out nosegays. The graduates will be able to officially use the title of ‘midwife’ upon receiving their profession license certificate from the district administration.
Congratulations all around
The ceremony was attended by several representatives of the University, the Faculty and the University Hospital Bonn, including
Professor Bernd Weber, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and acting Executive Committee Chair of the UKB: “The modernization of midwifery training is a major step forward; one that we’re able to shape through the strong partnership between the University of Bonn and the UKB. The combined academic and practical learning experiences afforded help you, the hard-working midwives of tomorrow, obtain valuable expertise for your future work in the profession.”
Professor Klaus Sandmann, Vice Rector for Teaching, Learning and University Development, commented: “Launching a new degree program takes a group effort on the part of many individuals. We thus would like to especially thank the teachers and program coordinators, who played a key role in the success of the first-ever graduating class.”
Professor Ulrich Gembruch, interim Director of the Institute of Midwifery at the UKB, commented: “As we proudly send off the first class of midwives trained in Bonn to complete an academic degree in parallel, we would underscore how you too can be proud, to be embarking upon your career as a representative of modern, scientifically sound midwifery.”
Alexander Pröbstl, Director of Caregiving and Patient Service at the UKB, said to the graduates: “As midwives, you will be working with young families in the most formative phases of their lives. You now have all of the key skills you will be needing, which is a win for our society and our health care system.”
107 students are currently enrolled in the University of Bonn’s midwifery degree program, which offers 35 study places each year. This is twice the annual enrollment figure for the traditional apprenticeship program, thus not only do graduating midwives now hold an academic degree, their increased numbers help overcome the skilled labor shortage in crucial fashion. For further information on the degree program visit https://www.medfak.uni-bonn.de/en/studies-teaching/study-programs/midwifery/midw...
The graduates of the Bachelor's programme in Midwifery together with representatives of the Universi ...
Source: Daria Siverina
Copyright: Daria Siverina / University Hospital Bonn
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Journalists
Medicine
regional
Studies and teaching
English
The graduates of the Bachelor's programme in Midwifery together with representatives of the Universi ...
Source: Daria Siverina
Copyright: Daria Siverina / University Hospital Bonn
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