In this penultimate article in our series exploring the current landscape and challenges in educating the future midwifery workforce, we examine the interplay between the practice and academic environments and the impact this has on both students and staff alike, particularly in the wake of changing standards for student supervision. We explore whether the nature of being an educator in a health field such as midwifery is unique because of the need to support students through placement challenges when there are limitations on what HEIs can realistically influence. We also examine the ‘extra’ responsibilities put upon midwifery education staff to support students by way of ‘Academic Assessor’ roles.