PURPOSE:
Purpose of the presentation: To discuss strategies employed by my higher education institution and neurodiverse champions involving academic staff and students to improve experiences and outcomes of neurodiverse midwifery students. The strategies include: Midwifery pedagogy that offers diverse teaching strategies Accessibility learning support services Student wellbeing support Peer and mentor support Staff training on how to support students Creation of a dedicated space on students’ hub for neurodiverse students Provision of bespoke support sessions for students Provision of easy to use clinical placement checklist as a resource for practical placements Co-development of student-led neurodiverse workshops.

DISCUSSION:
Increasing and strengthening the midwifery workforce globally is essential for improving health outcomes for women and their families and reducing maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity (WHO, 2025). Embracing the unique strengths of neurodiversity and empowering each student to excel is a step in a right direction for reducing pre-registration attrition and increasing midwifery workforce (Twinley 2024; Wilson & Dalman, 2024) Identification of strengths relating to neurodiversity such as attention to detail, empathy, motivation and drive are essential for empowering students to excel (Duong & Vogel, 2022).

EVIDENCE WHERE RELEVANT:
One of the strategies for increasing skilled midwifery workforce is to empower neurodiverse midwifery students to excel, reduce pre-registration attrition (McDowall & Kiseleva, 2024), and improve post-registration retention (NHS England, 2018). Evidence shows that higher number of neurodiverse students are entering higher education (Gunin et al. 2021)​. However, there is a higher rate of temporary withdrawals and /or attrition in comparison with their peers (Santhanam & Wilson 2024). Neurodiversity continues to be a perceived stigma which means some students may remain hidden, therefore cannot be adequately supported to excel (Neal-Boylan & Miller 2017)​.

KEY MESSAGE:
Neurodiverse students should be given maximum support to increase their chances of successfully completing their educational programme to increase future midwifery workforce (McDowall & Kiseleva, 2024). Poster session 3 (Group B)