Bachelor of Midwifery | UniSC | University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

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Bachelor of Midwifery

Support the journey of pregnancy, birth and beyond.

Prepare to work as a registered midwife, giving women the necessary support and care during pregnancy, labour and the postpartum period.

Applications for this program are now closed

Study location QTAC code
  • Sunshine Coast 013471
Minimum selection threshold
OP - 7 Rank - 86
UniSC program code
SC393
Commence
Semester 1
Duration
3 years full time or equivalent part time
Applications close
31st October 2017
Recommended prior study
English; Maths A, B or C; at least one science subject
Other requirements
This program has higher English language proficiency requirements than most other programs at this level offered by the University. Refer to the English language requirements.
Fee type 2018
  • What will I pay?
Total courses
23
Total units
288

Prepare to work as a registered midwife, giving women the necessary support and care during pregnancy, labour and the postpartum period.

In this program, you’ll gain a strong understanding of the social, cultural, spiritual, psychological and physical experiences of women to provide quality maternity care. You’ll study holistic assessment in midwifery; the nature of woman-centred midwifery practice; midwifery care across the childbearing continuum; legal and ethical requirements; bioscience and anatomy and physiology; research and evidenced based practice. By the end of the program you will meet the national requirements set by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) for registration as a midwife.

You’ll learn midwifery skills in a simulated environment with state of the art technology that is as close as possible to the real situation, and on midwifery practice placements.

Throughout your program, you’ll gain practical experience on placements in settings such as clinics, community settings, maternity services and private midwifery practice. You’ll also engage with 10 women throughout pregnancy, at antenatal visits, labour and birth as well as postnatal visits to gain a comprehensive understanding of the childbearing journey.

At USC, you’ll benefit from strong face-to-face contact with teaching staff who are qualified in the areas of midwifery, nursing, education and research.

Take advantage of increased career opportunities for midwives on the Sunshine Coast. The new Sunshine Coast University Hospital and new models of maternity care will require qualified staff.

If you are an Enrolled or Advanced Enrolled Nurse, you’re eligible for credit into the program.

At the end of your degree, consider continuing your studies with the Bachelor of Midwifery (Honours) or the Master of Midwifery to pursue a career as a clinical midwife, midwifery researcher, privately practicing midwife or independent midwife.

Post-admission requirements

Before undertaking clinical placement, students must obtain and maintain a current first aid and CPR certificate, provide evidence of hepatitis B and a number of other immunisations, undergo a criminal history check and obtain a Blue Card. Refer to Program requirements and notes.

Career opportunities

Registered midwife in hospital or community settings, metropolitan, rural and remote locations or private practice midwife.

Membership

Australian College of Midwives.

Registration

Graduates are eligible to apply for registration a midwife in Australia with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, which is a Board of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia has a number of registration standards that graduates must demonstrate in order to be eligible for registration. For example, graduates must demonstrate English language skills at IELTS level 7, with 7 in all subtests, or equivalent before being considered for professional registration. For full details of the AHPRA Registration Standards, visit the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia website.

Program structure

Introductory courses (10)

COR109 Introduction to Game Design
HLT100 Introduction to Game Production
HLT121 Game Art: Virtual Environments
HLT122 Game Studio: Polish and Publish
HLT123 Medical Genetics
HLT131 Integrated Physiology
HLT132 Microbiology
LFS103 Nutritional Biochemistry
NUR121 Communication and Thought
NUR131 Anatomy and Physiology

Advanced courses (11)

HLT201 Midwifery Foundations
HLT202 Developing Midwifery
HLT203 Midwifery Practice 1
HLT301 Practice Principles for Midwifery and Nursing
HLT310 Comprehensive Assessment in Midwifery
HLT311 Introductory Bioscience
HLT312 Health, Culture and Society
NUR212 Research Foundations for Health Practice
NUR222 Therapeutics in Midwifery
NUR231 Midwifery Practice 2
NUR332 Advancing Midwifery

Electives (2)

Select 2 elective courses from:

NUR241 Contexts of Practice: Mental Health Care
NUR312 Leadership and governance in maternity care
NUR322 Midwifery Practice 3

Note: Program structures are subject to change. Not all USC courses are available on every USC campus.

 

Total units: 288

Program requirements and notes

Program requirements

In order to graduate students must:

  • Successfully complete 288 units as outlined in the Program Structure
  • Attend courses offered in Sessions (where applicable)

In order to commence clinical placement you must:

  • Hold a valid Suitability Card (Blue Card), throughout the duration of your program, which is issued by the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian (CCYPCG). You should allow 12 weeks for CCYPCG to issue the card. Note: students who do not possess a valid Blue Card will be unable to complete the clinical practice component of their program and will be unable to meet graduation requirements.
  • have a National Criminal History check (by Queensland Police Service or other state/territory authority)
  • show evidence of complete Hepatitis B vaccination (3 inoculations over a period of six months)
  • hold a current First Aid and CPR certificate from an organisation recognised by the Australian Resuscitation Council

Note: You are required to commence action of the above requirements immediately after enrolling. Hepatitis B immunity can take up to six months to determine and the processing of your USC Blue Card Application Form can take up to 10 weeks. Visit Nursing and Midwifery - Clinical Placement for more information about these requirements before you apply.

Students are expected to:

  • travel to attend supernumerary clinical placements and attend the full range of clinical shifts in placement areas
  • make time commitment to completing the required clinical requirements including midwifery continuity of care experiences; students are required to complete 10 continuity of care experiences with women and their families, which will mean engagement in the program across the full calendar year and periods of on-call
  • incur costs relating to clinical placement such as travel, parking and uniform
  • have a level of computer literacy, including word processing and email
Program notes
  • Completing this program within the specified (full-time) duration is based on studying 48 unit points per semester (normally 4 courses) and undertaking some courses in Session 4 (Winter) or Session 8 (Summer)
  • Courses within this program are assessed using a variety of assessment methods including, for example, essays, seminar presentations, reports, in-class tests, and examinations
  • Refer to the Planning your study page to manage your progression
  • Teaching sessions include Semester 1, Semester 2, Session 4 and Session 8
  • HLT301 (if enrolling in Semester 1) MUST be completed at Sunshine Coast Health Institute, not the Sippy Downs campus.