International Consultant: Development of Direct Entry BSc-Midwifery Curriculum, Freetown, Sierra Leone

Maternal and newborn mortality remains a critical public health challenge in Sierra Leone. Globally, evidence shows that when midwives are fully educated, licensed, and integrated into a supportive health system, they can deliver approximately 90% of essential sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, and adolescent health (SRMNAH) services. Achieving universal coverage of midwife-delivered interventions could avert an estimated 67% of maternal deaths, 64% of newborn deaths, and 65% of stillbirths. However, optimizing this life-saving potential requires upgrading pre-service education to a rigorous, university-level standard. The current State Certified Midwifery Curriculum was initially developed in 2010 and subsequently revised and launched in 2016. Since then, significant developments have occurred in midwifery education, healthcare delivery systems, competency-based training approaches, and international standards.

In Sierra Leone, improving Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) remain a national priority. To respond effectively to emerging health challenges, evolving educational standards, technological advancements, and international best practices, there is a need to revise and upgrade the current State Certified Midwifery curriculum to a Bachelor of Science (BSc) Midwifery Curriculum.

To build a competent, safe, and autonomous midwifery workforce capable of operating within a professional midwifery model of care, the Ministry of Health of Sierra Leone, with technical and financial support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), seeks to transition its current pre-service midwifery training into a comprehensive Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Midwifery programme. This initiative will directly utilize the ICM-UNFPA Global Sample Curriculum for Pre-Service Education of Midwives: Direct Entry Programme as its structural and pedagogical blueprint.

The primary objective of this consultancy is to lead the development, contextualization, and validation of a high-quality, competency-based BSc Midwifery curriculum and accompanying student assessment frameworks for Sierra Leone. The final curriculum must seamlessly align with the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) Global Standards for Midwifery Education, the ICM Essential Competencies for Midwifery Practice, and the national regulatory requirements of Sierra Leone.

Specific Objectives:

1. Conduct a situational analysis of existing midwifery education programmes and identify gaps requiring attention at bachelor's degree level.
2. Review national policies, regulatory frameworks, and existing curricula relevant to midwifery education.
3. Develop a competency-based Bachelor of Science in Midwifery curriculum.
4. Facilitate stakeholder consultations and curriculum validation workshops.
5. Ensure alignment with national accreditation and quality assurance requirements.
6. Strengthen institutional capacity through technical guidance during curriculum development.

Scope of the review,

Description of services, activities or outputs:

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of UNFPA Sierra Leone and in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health, and the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Grounded in a Competency-Based Education (CBE) and applied learning framework, the consultant will undertake the following tasks.

Phase 1: National Needs Analysis and Stakeholder Engagement

1. Conduct a baseline situational analysis of the country’s SRMNAH population needs, national health infrastructures, and institutional capacities. 
2. Review existing national scopes of practice, curricula, codes of conduct, and health policies to identify regulatory or legal alignment gaps with international standards. 
3. Facilitate multi-stakeholder consultations involving representatives from regulatory authorities, higher education institutions, clinical placement facilities, and the national midwives’ association to secure consensus on the programme’s strategic direction.

Phase 2: Curriculum Design and Framework Architecture

1. Collaboratively define the programme’s overarching vision, mission statement, and core educational philosophy, ensuring they center on rights-based, gender-equitable, and woman-centered care.  Establish clear Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs) explicitly mapped against the ICM Essential Competencies. 
2. Design a three-year minimum curriculum structure encompassing a total of 4,600 hours of study, strictly adhering to the mandated global theory-practice balance:   

• Minimum 40% Theory Hours (approx. 1,890 hours), including 140 unallocated country-specific hours to address national health priorities and decolonization principles. 
• 10% Simulation and Skills Laboratory Practice Hours (approx. 410 hours). 
• Minimum 50% Midwifery Practice Placement Hours (approx. 2,300 hours) distributed across diverse, supervised clinical environments. 

1. Utilize a spiral curriculum approach organized using the four levels of Miller’s Pyramid of Clinical Competence (Knows - Knows How; Shows - Shows How) to ensure progressive complexity across training years

Phase 3: Syllabus Development and Assessment Scaffolding

1. Draft detailed module descriptors (including Foundations of Midwifery, Midwifery Science, Comprehensive Abortion Care, Perinatal Mental Health, and Emergency Midwifery Skills) using a framework of constructive alignment.   
2. Integrate innovative, scaffolded Student Assessment Frameworks combining formative (assessment for learning) and summative (assessment of learning) strategies. 
3. Develop standardized clinical evaluation tools, objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs), viva rubrics, and a comprehensive Practice Portfolio / Clinical Logbook to track the accumulation of verified student competencies. 
4. Incorporate mechanisms for continuous program evaluation, including faculty review protocols and formal student feedback systems. 

The consultancy is expected to be completed within 45 working days over a period of approximately three months.

Payments are strictly output-based and will be disbursed upon satisfactory completion and approval of deliverables.

• Advanced university degree (Master's or Ph.D.) in Midwifery, Maternal Health, Nursing Education, or a directly related health/education science field.
• At least ten years of experience in midwifery education and curriculum development.
• Demonstrated experience developing competency-based health professional education programmes.
• Deep technical familiarity with the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) Global Standards, Professional Frameworks, and Competency guidelines.   
• Demonstrated understanding of Competency-Based Education (CBE), applied learning methodologies, and Miller’s Pyramid of Clinical Competence.   
• Excellent facilitation, communication, and multi-stakeholder management skills, with specific experience collaborating with United Nations agencies (such as UNFPA or WHO) and Ministries of Health. 
• Strong commitment to human rights, gender transformative leadership, social justice, and woman-centered maternity models of care
• Fluency in written and spoken English is mandatory.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work in a team.

The consultant is expected to deliver this assignment using his/her own equipment and workspace.

Consultant must undertake mandatory courses by UNFPA / or demonstrate certification of the same – eg. PSEA, BSAFE, etc.