midwife.

Your main role as a midwife is to ensure a smooth pregnancy and a safe delivery. Afterwards, you support everyone in settling into their new role. Find out more about your responsibilities as a midwife here.

Among the different types of midwives are:

• Self-employed midwife: As a self-employed midwife, you support expectant mothers and families. You cover all stages: pregnancy, labour, and the postpartum period. You also provide breastfeeding advice. Typically, you assist women who wish to give birth at home. During the usually straightforward pregnancy, you are there to offer guidance and support.
• Midwife (caseload midwife): As a caseload midwife, you work independently and earn your own income. You provide care for pregnant women before, during, and after labour. During the pregnancy, you carry out all the preliminary examinations, except for ultrasounds. When labour begins, you monitor the intervals between contractions. When it’s time, you accompany the woman to the hospital. For the birth, you have a bed reserved for her there.
• Employed midwife: If you prefer to work as a salaried midwife, you would typically find a position in a hospital. There, you conduct examinations and deliver the basic antenatal classes. You also advise pregnant women and are available during postnatal care. Usually, you do not oversee the entire process from start to finish. Due to shift work in hospitals, there may be times when you are not present for the birth.

Your gross salary as a midwife largely depends on your level of experience and your place of work. Salaries also vary between cantons. A university hospital pays more than a small cantonal hospital. Some cantonal hospitals follow a regional collective agreement (GAV) for pay scales. As a midwife, you often work shifts and on-call duties, including weekends. In return, you receive allowances. The common job platforms in Switzerland list an entry-level salary of around CHF 75,600 per year, which equates to approximately CHF 6,300 per month. Find out more about your gross salary as a midwife here.

To work as a midwife in Switzerland, you need to have a bachelor's degree. This involves a three-year full-time programme at a university of applied sciences, where you learn everything necessary to qualify as a midwife. Afterwards, you will demonstrate your knowledge in pregnancy and childbirth through a ten-month internship. A vocational, technical, or school-leaving qualification is required for the bachelor's programme. Additionally, you should have completed  a two-month pre-internship in the healthcare sector. If you already hold a diploma as a registered nurse, your study duration in Bern is reduced by six months. The specific details of your admission will be provided by the universities of applied sciences. As a midwife, you never stop learning. You will continually update your skills to stay current with the latest research. The Swiss Midwives Association, along with universities of applied sciences and hospitals, offers a wide range of opportunities for further training. If you are interested in working in research, a PhD in care & rehabilitation science might be a suitable option for you.

The healthcare sector in Switzerland is suffering from a shortage of skilled professionals. As a midwife, you’ll find it easy to secure an attractive position. Hospitals, birthing centres, and midwifery practices are desperately seeking you. Whether you want to work full-time or part-time, the job market situation is favourable. After two years of full-time professional experience, you can become self-employed. Are you looking for an appealing job with prospects? Take a look at our midwife vacancies on this page.

The Swiss healthcare system is urgently seeking qualified professionals. Therefore, it seems natural to consider transitioning into the field by supporting expectant mothers. However, the Healthcare Professions Act sets clear requirements for training as a midwife. If you're thinking about entering the profession, a bachelor's degree is essential. As a self-employed midwife, you'll also need a practising certificate from your cantonal authority. If you come from a nursing background, you already have a good foundation and can save time on your studies.

In your profession as a midwife, a variety of career paths are open to you. If you enjoy leading, you can progress to become a team leader or ward manager. For this, additional qualifications in staff management are required. You can acquire the necessary skills through specialised courses. Alternatively, you might choose to specialise in a particular area, such as a perinatal centre or neonatology. These roles offer exciting, challenging tasks and a competitive salary. If you discover a passion for research, you can pursue a PhD at the University of Zurich. Within the research team at the Institute of Midwifery Science, you will contribute to improving the quality of maternity care.

As a midwife, you are familiar with all the essential techniques needed before, during, and after the birth. In addition to your professional expertise, other skills are also required, such as:

• Communicative skills: In your profession, you provide information, advice, and support. Sometimes, discussions are unavoidable. You persuade expectant mothers to adjust their diet. Occasionally, you encourage partners and family members to support the pregnant woman. To do this, you build a trusting relationship with both the expectant mother and her relatives. Your communication skills help you succeed in this.
• Teamwork and conflict resolution: As a midwife, you work alongside healthcare professionals, expectant mothers, and their families. The goal is clear: to provide the best possible care and ensure a birth that is as complication-free as possible. There may be differing opinions on how to achieve this. For example, a pregnant woman might insist on a home birth, even though medical assistance may be necessary. You calmly inform her about the pros and cons of a home birth, as well as any potential risks. You manage to find a satisfactory solution.
• Empathy: A pregnancy is generally an emotional exceptional situation. You are dealing with pregnant women who are affected by mood swings. Even the partner's nerves are often on edge. Thanks to your empathy, you know how to uplift or soothe people. You remain calm under the greatest stress and steer everything in a peaceful direction.
• Psychological resilience: The birth of a child is one of the most wonderful moments in your professional life when everything goes smoothly. However, sometimes complications can occur. The expectant mother may lose her baby or give birth to a stillborn child. Even during this difficult time, you are there for everyone. You stand by them in this sad phase. You also need to be able to cope with it yourself. It’s important for you to find the right balance between compassion and maintaining professional boundaries. Your psychological resilience will help you do that.

There are many good reasons to work as a midwife at Randstad:

✓ exciting jobs with well-known companies
✓ a reliable point of contact whenever you need one; personalised advice matters
✓ attractive employment conditions and good social benefits
✓ further education courses and personal development opportunities
✓ clear information in the myRandstad app
✓ do you have a fixed-term contract? Often, there’s the opportunity to secure a permanent position afterwards. Many well-known companies also recruit their staff directly through Randstad.

your training budget as a midwife at randstad.

If you work as a midwife for Randstad, you have access to further training courses. As part of the TempTraining programme from swissstaffing, you can attend training sessions. You will be reimbursed for the course fees later, provided you pass the course exam. Your consultant from Randstad is there to support you if you have any questions. This way, you can acquire additional language skills or specialised professional knowledge, all during your working hours as a midwife.

Have you found your dream job as a midwife? It’s not just qualifications and certificates that determine the success of your applications. Careful, error-free, and personalised documents will definitely help you in your job search. Here are a few useful tips to optimise your chances:

Here you will find answers to frequently asked questions about the profession of midwifery.