On 4 July 2025, tradition was once again upheld. For the second time in the 20-year history of Midwifery education at the University of Rzeszów, graduates of the Midwifery programme concluded their academic journey with the traditional ceremony of conferring the “Midwife’s Cap”.

Although modern midwives no longer wear caps as part of their daily attire, the cap remains a powerful professional symbol and a mark of acceptance into the profession. The white caps adorned with a red velvet stripe, placed on the graduates’ heads, are part of ceremonial dress and are worn during professional events and official celebrations.

The first such capping ceremony took place on 30 September 2024. Its continuation this year reflects a strong desire to preserve this meaningful tradition and to emphasise the importance of the midwifery profession.

It is worth recalling that the previous edition of the ceremony coincided with a special date – the 51st anniversary of the death of Stanisława Leszczyńska, the legendary midwife of Auschwitz-Birkenau, in whose honour the Polish Midwives’ Day is celebrated on 8 May.

Over the past 21 years of academic education at our University, more than 2,300 students have completed the Midwifery programme – 1,370 at the undergraduate level and 918 at the postgraduate level. The capping ceremony is a symbolic culmination of three years of study at the Bachelor’s level – a solemn moment marking formal entry into the midwifery profession.

Following the capping, the graduates took an oath, in which they pledged to uphold the ethical standards set out in the Code of Professional Ethics for Midwives of the Republic of Poland.