C10225v3 Bachelor of Midwifery
Award(s): Bachelor of Midwifery (BMid)UAC code: 606010 (Autumn session)
Commonwealth supported place?: Yes
Load credit points: 144
Course EFTSL: 3
Location: City campus
Notes
This course is only offered to local students.
This course is not offered to international students.
Overview
Course aims
Career options
Course intended learning outcomes
Admission requirements
Assumed knowledge
Course duration and attendance
Course structure
Course completion requirements
Course diagram
Course program
Rules and regulations
Honours
Professional recognition
Other information
Overview
This course incorporates midwifery theory, science and clinical practice in a range of health facilities. Graduates of the course are competent midwives who have the skills, knowledge and confidence to practise midwifery according to the international definition of the role and scope of practice of the midwife.
This course was the first Bachelor of Midwifery to be introduced in New South Wales. It provides the opportunity to apply for registration as a midwife with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia without having to become a registered nurse beforehand.
Course aims
The course aims to produce informed, reflective, caring and compassionate midwives who demonstrate competencies related to professional responsibility, interpersonal processes and the exercise of clinical judgment. Graduates are capable of providing woman-centred care in both hospitals and community settings. They practise reflective, evidence-based midwifery encompassing primary health care principles as well as emotional and social aspects of birth. They promote culturally sensitive care for women from Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. The course prepares students to identify and analyse the knowledge, skills and attitudes that will continue to develop them as midwives and lifelong learners. This includes meeting the challenges of contemporary midwifery practice and maternity service provision in Australia and internationally.
Career options
Career options include midwife in hospital, community, public and private settings in metropolitan and rural areas. Career progression opportunities include midwifery education management and research, and consultancy roles such as lactation or midwifery consultant.
Course intended learning outcomes
| 1.0 | Practice woman-centred care |
| 1.1 | Demonstrate woman centred care acknowledging the physiological, psychological, cultural and spiritual needs of women, their babies and family members |
| 1.2 | Appreciate the centrality of the relationship with each woman to the practice of midwifery |
| 1.3 | Promote continuity of midwifery care regardless of settings |
| 1.4 | Provide an optimal child-bearing environment for each woman |
| 2.0 | Are professionally competent midwives who provide safe and effective midwifery care using intelligent kindness |
| 2.1 | Have a sound and thorough knowledge base about anatomy and physiology |
| 2.2 | Demonstrate critical thinking and sound clinical judgment that is based on evidence and reflects appropriate reasoning within the relevant professional codes and guidelines |
| 2.3 | Communicate effectively using spoken, written and non-verbal language across a range of contexts and to diverse audiences |
| 2.4 | Utilise information technologies with a high level of literacy |
| 2.5 | Demonstrate competence in all clinical skills at the level of a new graduate midwife and be eligible to apply to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia for registration as a midwife |
| 3.0 | Work collaboratively in order to provide excellence in maternity care |
| 3.1 | Influence change and contribute to the development of midwifery as a strong profession through leadership, mentoring and positive role modelling |
| 3.2 | Demonstrate respectful and collegial collaboration with women, professional peers and other stakeholders |
| 3.3 | Participate effectively as a member of an interdisciplinary healthcare team |
| 4.0 | Are resilient, emotionally competent midwives who foster human flourishing |
| 4.1 | Practice and promote the principles of self-care that build resilience and foster human flourishing |
| 5.0 | Are socially responsible citizens who value the diversity of people |
| 5.1 | Practise midwifery within a primary health care philosophy |
| 5.2 | Demonstrate knowledge of the broader health system and advocate for midwifery as a local and global public health strategy |
| 5.3 | Practise with the knowledge that midwifery can make the biggest difference to the least advantaged women and families |
| 5.4 | Communicate and provide effective care for women from diverse backgrounds and needs |
| 6.0 | Are professionally engaged critical thinkers who take a lively and questioning approach and embrace lifelong learning |
| 6.1 | Interpret and value the evidence to underpin practice and influence change |
| 6.2 | Integrate strategies for ongoing personal and professional development |
| 6.3 | Actively contribute to the development of midwifery as a profession |
| 7.0 | Demonstrate professional cultural competency which contributes to the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians, inclusive of physical, social, emotional and spiritual wellness |
| 7.1 | Demonstrate respect and value for world view differences and in particular Australian Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing |
| 7.2 | Critique and reflect upon the impact of ongoing colonisation and its pervasive discourse on Indigenous Australians and their health and wellbeing |
| 7.3 | Recognise the diversity of Indigenous Australians and integrate this knowledge into practice |
Admission requirements
Applicants must have completed an Australian Year 12 qualification, Australian Qualifications Framework Diploma, or equivalent Australian or overseas qualification at the required level.
The UTS Year 12 Adjustment Factor Scheme awards adjustment factors to students based on their performance in selected high school subjects that are relevant to the course they have applied for.
Current school leaver applicants are assessed solely on ATAR.
Entry to the course is competitive. Applicants who are over 20 and do not have competitive recognised academic qualifications are encouraged to sit a Special Tertiary Admissions Test or complete a TAFE certificate IV qualification or higher.
The English proficiency requirement for local applicants with international qualifications is: Academic IELTS: 6.5 overall with a writing score of 6.0; or TOEFL: paper based: 550-583 overall with TWE of 4.5, internet based: 79-93 overall with a writing score of 21; or AE5: Pass.
Eligibility for admission does not guarantee offer of a place.
Assumed knowledge
Any two units of English.
Any two units of science and any two units of mathematics are recommended.
Course duration and attendance
The course is offered at City campus on a three-year, full-time basis.
Course structure
Students must gain a minimum of 144 credit points to complete the course.
Full-time students study four subjects a session, incorporating midwifery theory, science and clinical practice.
Industrial training/professional practice
This course includes extensive midwifery practice, which is a compulsory component. Students undertake midwifery professional experience in an allocated area health service facility. Clinical placements occur in blocks each session, and are in addition to time spent in the midwifery clinical practice laboratories that simulate the clinical environment. The placements involve morning, evening and possibly night shifts. Over the duration of the course, students are also required to follow women throughout their pregnancy, birth and the period after birth. This requires students to be on-call to attend the labour and birth. Students in the final year of their program undertake a prolonged period of clinical experience, with much of their time spent in a clinical environment. Students also have the opportunity to complete a rural or remote placement.
All midwifery students must adhere to the requirements in the Ministry of Health policy directive, 'PD2018_009 Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination Against Specified Infectious Diseases', prior to commencement of any clinical practice placements.
The policy should be read in full as it outlines students' obligation for screening and immunisation against certain infectious diseases prior to commencing their clinical placement. Students are asked to provide evidence of their immunity or vaccination status, and screening for tuberculosis (TB) status may also be required prior to the commencement of the first clinical placement. Students should be aware that if they do not meet the requirements of the policy they cannot commence the placement and as a result are not able to complete the course.
In the Bachelor of Midwifery program, students commence midwifery professional experience in the clinical setting in first year and this continues into second and third year.
Course completion requirements
| STM90744 First-year subjects | 48cp | |
| STM90745 Second-year subjects | 48cp | |
| STM90746 Third-year subjects | 48cp | |
| Total | 144cp |
Course diagram
Course program
A typical full-time course program is shown below.
| full time | ||
| Year 1 | ||
| Autumn session | ||
| 92350 Becoming a Midwife | 6cp | |
| 92351 Foundations of Midwifery Practice | 6cp | |
| 92352 Anatomy and Physiology: Pregnancy and Childbirth | 6cp | |
| 92353 Midwifery Practice 1: Preparation for Practice | 6cp | |
| Spring session | ||
| 92354 Introductory Pharmacology and Microbiology | 6cp | |
| 92355 Translating Research into Midwifery Practice | 6cp | |
| 92356 Transitions to Parenthood | 6cp | |
| 92357 Midwifery Practice 2: Supporting Women | 6cp | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Autumn session | ||
| 92358 Perinatal Mental Health | 6cp | |
| 92359 Women with Complex Pregnancies | 6cp | |
| 92364 Care of the Newborn | 6cp | |
| 92361 Midwifery Practice 3: Complex Pregnancy | 6cp | |
| Spring session | ||
| 92360 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health: Women and Babies | 6cp | |
| 92363 Complex Labour, Birth and the Puerperium | 6cp | |
| 92372 Working with Diversity | 6cp | |
| 92365 Midwifery Practice 4: Complex Labour, Birth and the Puerperium | 6cp | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Autumn session | ||
| 92366 Transition to Professional Practice | 6cp | |
| 92367 Midwifery as a Public Health Strategy | 6cp | |
| 92368 Keeping the Normal in Birth | 6cp | |
| 92369 Midwifery Practice 5: Emergencies in Maternity Care | 6cp | |
| Spring session | ||
| 92370 International Perspectives | 6cp | |
| 92371 Being a Midwife | 6cp | |
| 92362 Power, Politics and Midwifery | 6cp | |
| 92373 Midwifery Practice 6: Transitions to Being a Midwife | 6cp | |
Rules and regulations
Inherent requirements are the essential components of a course that demonstrate the capabilities, knowledge and skills to achieve the core learning outcomes. There are eight domains of inherent requirements in the course. Some domains have a number of sub-domains. The domains are:
- Ethical behaviour
- Behavioural stability
- Legal
- Communication
- Cognition
- Sensory ability
- Strength and mobility
- Sustainable performance.
It is a requirement of this course to complete a number of clinical placements. Clinical placements involve a midwifery student going into a clinical setting to undertake the practical components of the course required for registration. If a student has a condition or disability that prevents them from completing a placement, completion of the degree may be hindered. Students should consult the full inherent requirements (461 kb PDF).
Honours
The Bachelor of Midwifery (Honours) (C09051) is available to eligible students with an additional year of full-time study, or two years of part-time study.
Professional recognition
Provides eligibility to apply for registration as a midwife with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. See the faculty rules for more information.
Other information
Further information is available from:
UTS Student Centre
telephone 1300 ask UTS (1300 275 887)
or +61 2 9514 1222
Ask UTS
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