HNM216 - The Woman and Newborn Infant

Unit details

Content

This unit forms part of the Clinical Studies in Nursing and Midwifery Year 3/4 cluster and continues to build and extend students’ knowledge, skills and attributes in the speciality area of midwifery practice. The aim of this unit is to introduce students to various aspects of postnatal care for the woman and her infant. This will provide opportunity for students to examine the normal maternal physiological changes that occur in the postnatal phase and the adaptations required of the newborn infant. Students will explore midwifery management strategies to support the health education needs of a woman such as infant feeding options, immunisation, infant safety and the potential emotional changes that may be experienced by the woman following birth. The legal responsibilities of the midwife in relation to mandatory reporting and child protection will be scrutinised, and collaboration in multidisciplinary approaches to care. Students will have opportunity to apply and integrate knowledge and skills learned in this unit and previous units during a two (2) week clinical placement.

Assessment

Online test: 40% (2 x 30 minutes equivalent to 1000 words)

Online tests will allow students to increase their knowledge and understanding of the anatomy and physiological changes experienced by the woman and the newborn infant following birth. Students will need to apply this knowledge in midwifery practice settings.

Examination: 60% (1.5 hours closed book, equivalent to 1500 words)

Formal written examination will cover all aspects of the unit. The examination will consist of multiple choice and short answer questions incorporating all unit content. The examination will require students to demonstrate understanding of the physiological adaptations of the woman and newborn infant following birth and related care.

Clinical assessment: Pass/Fail (equivalent to 1000 words) 

Failure of the clinical component will lead to a fail in this unit and may lead to exclusion.

Clinical assessment involves the students successfully completing a two (2) week practicum together with the completion of documenting their midwifery experiences and the completion of any associated Midwifery Practice Learning Tools for this unit. The successful completion of the Midwifery Portfolio and clinical practicum is considerable and requires students to safely integrate knowledge and skills, apply theory in practice situations, and demonstrate progression and consolidation of clinical competencies across a range of professional domains. Although no numerical weighting is attributed to the clinical assessment in terms of the final unit result, clinical is competency-based and has therefore been given a weighting relative to the total student workload. The School thereby acknowledges that the clinical assessment is valid, worthwhile, and requires commitment from the student whilst supporting the competency-based nature of this assessment as pass/fail gradings.

Midwifery Practice Learning Tools

• Mother and baby wellbeing assessment following birth
• Facilitating breastfeeding for the mother and baby
• Breastfeeding challenges for the mother and baby
• Care of the woman who had a caesarean section

Midwifery Portfolio (equivalent to 500 words)

To meet the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia's midwife registration requirements students upon completion of clinical placement, are required to submit their Midwifery Portfolio.

Maintain Continuity of Care experiences with women during pregnancy, birth, and following birth
(10 hours per experience).

Department of Human Services policy and Working with Children Act

In accordance with Department of Human Services policy*, all students are required to undertake a National Police Record Check prior to clinical placements in each calendar year of their course. In accordance with the Working with Children Act 2005**, all students are required to undertake a Working with Children Check at commencement of the course. Students who fail to obtain a Police Record Check and a Working with Children Check prior to the commencement of clinical placement will not be able to undertake clinical placement and this will impede progress in the course. Students may also be required to declare their immunisation status to satisfy the requirements of health organisations where they will be undertaking their clinical learning experience. A health organisation may refuse to accept a student for placement if the student’s immunisation status is not satisfactory to the health organisation.

* Department of Human Services 2007, Service agreement information kit for funded organisations 2006–2009, State Government of Victoria, Melbourne, retrieved 1 July 2007.
** Department of Justice 2007, Working with Children Act 2005, Victoria, Australia retrieved April 2012

Prescribed texts

Fraser, DM & Cooper, MA (eds) 2009, Myles textbook for midwives, 15^th edn, Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh.

OR

Macdonald, S & Magill-Cuerden, J  (eds) 2011, Mayes’ midwifery: a textbook for midwives,14^th edn, Elsevier, Bailliere Tindall, Edinburgh.

OR

Pairman, S, Pincombe, J, Thorogood, C & Tracy, S 2009, Midwifery preparation for practice, 2^nd edn, Churchill Livingstone, Sydney

Unit Fee Information

* Rate for all CSP students, except for those who commenced Education and Nursing units pre 2010
** Rate for CSP students who commenced Education and Nursing units pre 2010
Please note: Unit fees listed do not apply to Deakin Prime students.