C07070v7 Graduate Diploma in Midwifery
Award(s): Graduate Diploma in Midwifery (GradDipMid)Commonwealth supported place?: Yes
Load credit points: 48
Course EFTSL: 1
Location: City campus
Notes
Applications are open for 2023 Summer commencement.
The subjects 92385 Promoting, supporting and protecting Breastfeeding (3cp) and 92384 Midwifery as Primary Healthcare: A public health strategy (3cp) will commence on 1 December 2023. Both subjects will be delivered through online modules and students will be expected to attend two (2) face-to-face workshops timetabled for late January and early February.
Limited commonwealth-supported places are available.
This course is not offered to international students.
Overview
Career options
Course intended learning outcomes
Admission requirements
Course duration and attendance
Course structure
Course completion requirements
Course program
Rules and regulations
Professional recognition
Other information
Overview
This course is designed to meet the graduate needs of registered nurses wishing to gain registration to practise in the area of midwifery. It provides a broad theoretical and clinical study in midwifery, and includes a discussion of professional, sociopolitical and ethico-legal issues related to the family, and research skills that enhance midwifery practice and interpersonal processes. Students undertake concurrent employment as a midwifery student in an accredited midwifery unit.
The Graduate Diploma in Midwifery at UTS is a highly competitive course which qualifies registered nurses to be professional midwives through the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA). The course meets standards of midwifery education and practice at both the national and international level. Midwives are valued members of the health care workforce who are in high demand, in both the public and private health systems, and the current shortage is expected to continue for some time.
Career options
Career options include practising midwife in a hospital, community, and public and private settings in metropolitan and rural areas. Career progression opportunities include midwifery education, management and research, and consultancy and leadership roles.
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 |
| 1.5 | Work in partnership with women |
| 1.6 | Demonstrate an awareness of sustainability of physiological processes to reduce the environmental footprint |
| 1.7 | Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the woman, her clinical and psychological needs and work in partnership to implement a treatment plan |
| 2.0 | Are professionally competent midwives who provide safe and effective midwifery care using intelligent kindness |
| 2.1 | Demonstrate thorough knowledge of the discipline of midwifery |
| 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 and effectively apply these in the exercise of clinical judgement |
| 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 |
| 2.6 | Practise and meet the full scope of the midwife as per the International Confederation of Midwives |
| 2.7 | Perform a comprehensive medicine assessment of the woman and her newborn, identify options that can be incorporated into the treatment and reviews the response to treatment |
| 2.8 | Consider non-pharmacological treatment options |
| 2.9 | Demonstrate advanced knowledge within a systematic and coherent body of knowledge that includes the acquisition and application of knowledge and skills in a new or existing discipline or professional area |
| 3.0 | Work collaboratively in order to provide excellence in maternity care |
| 3.1 | Influence and contribute to the development of midwifery as a distinct 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 |
| 3.4 | Communicate the treatment plan clearly to other health professionals |
| 3.5 | Communicate their understanding of theoretical concepts when working collaboratively with women, their families and other health care professionals |
| 4.0 | Are resilient, emotionally competent midwives who foster human flourishing |
| 4.1 | Evaluate and apply effective and creative solutions to the improvement of midwifery practice and the care of the woman and her newborn |
| 4.2 | Support women to make informed decisions |
| 4.3 | Assume responsibility for self-care and self-development as a midwife |
| 4.4 | Demonstrate the ability to make high level, independent judgments |
| 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 | Actively contribute to the development of midwifery as a profession and the politics that influence midwifery |
| 6.3 | Comply with intellectual academic writing practices and use information ethically, legally and respectfully |
| 6.4 | Promote the growth of personal and professional learning and the education of others |
| 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 | Critically 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 a UTS recognised bachelor's degree, or an equivalent or higher qualification, or submitted other evidence of general and professional qualifications that demonstrates potential to pursue graduate studies.
Applicants must have:
• Current registration as a nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. Registration is confirmed via the National Register of Practitioners (opens an external site).
• Concurrent employment in a midwifery student position. Applicants are required to apply through either: the centralised recruitment program for NSW public hospitals: MidStART. This process is administered by the NSW Department of Health Nursing and Midwifery Office. Or applying directly to NSW private hospitals to undertake a midwifery student program. Private hospitals that offer midwifery student positions include the Mater Hospital (check their website for details or contact the hospital directly), Sydney Adventist Hospital (applications open in June; check the hospital website for details), St George Private Hospital, North Shore Private Hospital. Prospective students need to contact private hospitals directly in order to apply for a midwifery position.
Applicants need to apply to UTS for a position in the Graduate Diploma in Midwifery program. The application must be direct via UTS Online Application. UTS accepts applications for enrolment in this course from June of the year prior to commencement. We recommend you submit your UTS application before October, as applications received after this date may not be considered. While a student can apply for the program at UTS during the relevant application period, acceptance into the course is dependent on the applicant securing employment as a student midwife (midwifery student). See also the Application checklist.
Applicants are selected on academic merit based on their grade point average.
Apppplicants need to be available to attend the UTS campus from late January and will be required to attend mandatory workshops in the first two (2) weeks of February.
The English proficiency requirement for local applicants with international qualifications is: Academic IELTS: 7.0 overall with a minimum score of 7.0 in each subset; or TOEFL: internet based: 94 overall, reading 24, listening 24, speaking 23, writing 27; or PTE: 65-72 overall with a minimum score of 65 in each subset; or OET: minimum score of B in each of the 4 components (listening, reading, writing and speaking).
Eligibility for admission does not guarantee offer of a place.
Course duration and attendance
This course is offered over a 14-month, full-time period.
Course structure
Students must complete a total of 48 credit points, comprising nine compulsory subjects.
Industrial training/professional practice
The course requires concurrent employment in an accredited midwifery unit for one year (four days a week) in order for students to meet the requirements to gain midwifery registration with the National Board of Nursing and Midwifery.
Course completion requirements
| 92383 Translating Research into Midwifery Practice | 6cp | |
| 92384 Midwifery as Primary Healthcare: a Public Health Strategy | 3cp | |
| 92385 Promoting, Supporting and Protecting Breastfeeding | 3cp | |
| 92386 Power, Politics and Midwifery | 6cp | |
| 92388 Midwifery Practice 1 | 6cp | |
| 92389 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health: Women and Babies | 6cp | |
| 92390 Perinatal Mental Health | 6cp | |
| 92391 Midwifery Practice 2 | 6cp | |
| 92392 Midwifery in Complex Situations | 6cp | |
| Total | 48cp |
Course program
A typical program is shown below.
| full time | ||
| Year 1 | ||
| Summer session | ||
| 92384 Midwifery as Primary Healthcare: a Public Health Strategy | 3cp | |
| 92385 Promoting, Supporting and Protecting Breastfeeding | 3cp | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Autumn session | ||
| 92383 Translating Research into Midwifery Practice | 6cp | |
| 92388 Midwifery Practice 1 | 6cp | |
| 92389 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health: Women and Babies | 6cp | |
| Spring session | ||
| 92386 Power, Politics and Midwifery | 6cp | |
| 92391 Midwifery Practice 2 | 6cp | |
| 92392 Midwifery in Complex Situations | 6cp | |
| 92390 Perinatal Mental Health | 6cp | |
Rules and regulations
Students must have concurrent employment of 32 hrs a week with a UTS industry partner to be enrolled and progress through the course.
Autumn Semester
The three (3) Autumn semester subjects are pre-requisites for progression into the Spring semester (92383; 92388; 92389). Students must receive a ‘Pass’ grade or higher in these three subjects to be able to enrol in the Spring subjects. In addition, students must receive a ‘Satisfactory’ rating on their Australian Midwifery Standards Assessment Tool (AMSAT) in Midwifery Practice 1 (92388) to pass the subject and progress.
Students who do not pass all three Autumn subjects (including attainment of a ‘Satisfactory’ AMSAT in Midwifery Practice 1) must withdraw from the course.
Spring Semester
Students must receive a ‘Pass’ grade or higher in all four (4) Spring semester subjects to be eligible to graduate from the course (92386; 92390; 92391; 92392). In addition, students must receive a ‘Satisfactory’ rating on their Australian Midwifery Standards Assessment Tool (AMSAT) in Midwifery Practice 2 (92391) to pass the subject and be eligible to graduate.
Students who do not pass all four Spring subjects (including attainment of a ‘Satisfactory’ AMSAT in Midwifery Practice 2) will be ineligible to graduate and must withdraw from the course.
Students who successfully regain entry into the course must enrol in, and successfully complete both Midwifery Practice 1 (92388) and Midwifery Practice 2 (92391) regardless of previous marks attained as these subjects are clinically based and attached to 1) mandatory clinical practice hours and 2) mandatory continuity of care experiences across 12-month employment contract. Regardless of previous success, students will also be required to re-enrol in the Spring semester subject Midwifery in Complex Situations (92378) as this subject provides theoretical knowledge and understanding that underpins Midwifery Practice
Professional recognition
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
UTS: Health
Loretta Musgrave
Course coordinator
telephone +61 2 9514 5069