Bachelor of Midwifery

This course prepares graduates for eligibility to apply for registration throughout Australia as a beginning professional registered midwife.

This course will develop midwives for the future who can integrate local and international knowledge for the benefit of pregnant and birthing women in Greater Western Sydney, and beyond.

Graduates will work in partnership with women (and their families) in order to provide effective ‘woman centred’ care.

Graduates from Western Sydney University will practice according to the International Definition of the Midwife and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council Midwife standards for practice.

Students will apply critical, reflective and intellectual skills to the provision of evidence based midwifery care.

The acquisition of midwifery knowledge and skills occurs initially in campus-based simulated clinical practice settings and consolidation occurs as students undertake clinical placements in a variety of health care settings.

Prospective students should be aware that full disclosure of any issues of impairment or misconduct is a declaration requirement when applying for registration as a registered midwife.Accreditation The Bachelor of Midwifery has accreditation and approval from the Nurses and Midwives Board Australia.

From 1 July 2010 the approval, recognition and accreditation of courses has been transferred to the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMAC).

Course accreditation can be checked on their website.

http://www.anmac.org.au/accreditation-services.

Please note:

from 1 July 2010 practitioners applying for registration as a nurse or midwife for the first time in Australia are required to demonstrate English language proficiency as specified by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA).

These requirements include:

a) the IELTS examination (academic module) with a minimum score of 7 in each of the four components (listening, reading, writing and speaking);

or b) completion and an overall pass in the Occupational English Test (OET) with grades A or B only in each of the four components.

For further details, refer to the NMBA website http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Registration-Standards.aspx

Qualification for this award requires the successful completion of 240 credit points including the units listed in the recommended sequence below.

Full-time

Midwifery Practice Experience

To enable students to experience midwifery practice across the calendar year as required by ANMAC, all Midwifery Professional Practice units (MPP’s) are offered as ‘H’ units. The major types of experiences are in blocks of learning and in a woman-centred continuity of care model. Practice experiences for the Bachelor of Midwifery are documented within the practice units.

Practice Block

A number of practice experiences, in a variety of practice placements, are scheduled throughout the three year course. There are fewer hours of clinical practice in first year (approximately 25%) compared to second year (50%), with the most clinical practice allocated to the third year (75%) to enable students to consolidate their practice in readiness to meet the NMBA Competencies for practice as a midwife.

This practice occurs in blocks of time (from one day a week to five days per week) and includes working in hospital areas such as antenatal clinics; antenatal wards; birthing units; postnatal wards; newborn nursery; postnatal home visiting; operating theatres for caesarean sections; ultrasound clinics; fetal and maternal assessment units and gynaecology wards. The practice also includes working in such areas as community centres with child and family nurses; midwives in group practice; rural hospitals; and ambulance services.

Continuity of Care

Continuity of care/carer enables women to develop a relationship with the same caregiver(s) throughout pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. Continuity of care/carer facilitates relationships and consistent information, which is essential to the provision of care that is safe, sensitive and appropriate. Students undertaking this course will be introduced to the theoretical concepts and evidence base for continuity of care/carer model within the Midwifery Knowledge units. Continuity of care/carer experience will be gained within the Midwifery Practice Experience units. Throughout the course, students will refine and develop their understanding of continuity of care/carer, underpinned by a woman-centred care philosophy, where women are involved in their own care, making informed choices and having control over both their care and their relationships with their caregivers. In this relationship-based care model, women generally feel that their choices are respected and supported (Johnson & Stewart, 2003). Students will follow 10 women over the course of the Bachelor of Midwifery within this model of care; two women in the first year, three in the second year and five in the third year.

Students will begin their first midwifery practice placement within eight weeks of commencing the course in the Autumn semester or as soon as they have met all the pre-requisites. Students will attend well women’s antenatal clinics on a weekly basis and begin by observing the practice of midwifery care. They will practice their midwifery skills on campus and as they gain confidence they will begin to have a more ‘hands on’ approach under the supervision of a midwife. During the antenatal clinic placements it is expected that students will meet and work in partnership with women in the continuity of care model. Students will follow the women throughout their pregnancy, labour and birth and during the postnatal period for up six weeks as determined by the woman, and the supervising midwife. This may include visits to the woman’s home.

The practice blocks, together with the 10 continuity of care experiences across the calendar year, provide the Bachelor of Midwifery curriculum with approximately fifty percent clinical practice and fifty percent theory, which is a requirement of ANMAC.