NNC NLEM Midwifery study guide
NNC NLEM Midwifery · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Nurses and Midwives Council of Malawi (NNC) licensure examination in midwifery - often searched as NLEM Midwifery - is the regulatory gateway that determines whether a graduate midwife or nurse-midwife can be registered and licensed to practise in Malawi. It is aimed at candidates who have completed an approved midwifery programme (direct-entry midwifery or a post-basic midwifery qualification for registered nurses) and who need to demonstrate that they meet the Council's minimum competence standard before entering practice. The NNC NLEM Midwifery study guide has 10 sections and about 2,645 words.
01Antenatal Care and Midwifery Assessment
This domain tests whether you can take a focused history, date a pregnancy, identify risk, perform a systematic antenatal examination, order only indicated screening, and teach danger signs. The exam favours the WHO eight-contact model, local Nigerian guidelines, and practical interpretation of fundal height, blood pressure, urine, and fetal heart.
306 words, about 2 min02Normal Labour and Birth
This domain tests recognition of normal labour, correct use of the partograph, supportive care, fetal monitoring, and active management of the third stage. The exam expects you to distinguish latent from active first stage and to know when a finding is a variation rather than an abnormality.
295 words, about 1 min03Postpartum and Newborn Care
This domain tests immediate and ongoing assessment of the mother–baby pair: uterine tone, bleeding, lochia, perineum, breastfeeding, thermoregulation, newborn examination, and timely referral. The exam often uses a deteriorating mother or a small baby to test prioritisation.
287 words, about 1 min04Complicated Pregnancy, Labour, and Postpartum
This domain tests early recognition, first-line management, and referral for pre-eclampsia, haemorrhage, sepsis, obstructed labour, malpresentation, preterm labour, and fetal compromise. The exam rewards a structured ABC approach and safe transfer, not heroics at a basic facility.
256 words, about 1 min05Neonatal Resuscitation and Care of the At-Risk Newborn
This domain tests the first minute of life, ventilation, chest compressions, and ongoing care of preterm, low-birth-weight, infected, or jaundiced babies. The exam expects the current Helping Babies Breathe/Neonatal Resuscitation Program sequence, not APGAR-based resuscitation.
269 words, about 1 min06Family Planning and Sexual and Reproductive Health
This domain tests contraceptive counselling, method eligibility, emergency contraception, and respectful SRH care across adolescence, pregnancy, and postpartum. The exam uses WHO Medical Eligibility Criteria categories and real-life contraindications rather than memorised brand names.
262 words, about 1 min07Infection Prevention, Pharmacology, and Safe Medication Practice
This domain tests standard precautions, sharps safety, post-exposure management, and safe use of the drugs midwives give most: oxytocin, magnesium sulfate, antibiotics, misoprostol, tranexamic acid, and antihypertensives. Calculation accuracy and high-alert checks are examinable.
248 words, about 1 min08Midwifery Ethics, Law, and Professional Regulation
This domain tests consent, confidentiality, advocacy, negligence, documentation, scope of practice, and professional discipline. The exam expects you to apply principles to real dilemmas rather than recite slogans.
239 words, about 1 min09Health Promotion, Counselling, and Community Midwifery
This domain tests behaviour-change counselling, health education, community assessment, home visiting, and referral linkages. The exam favours practical communication skills and cultural safety over one-way lecturing.
240 words, about 1 min10Research, Evidence-Based Practice, and Quality Improvement
This domain tests whether you can ask an answerable question, appraise evidence, distinguish audit from research, and run a simple improvement cycle. The exam uses clinical scenarios, not statistics for their own sake.
243 words, about 1 min