About Midwifery
The midwife is recognised as a responsible and accountable professional who works in partnership with women to give the necessary support, care and advice during pregnancy, labour and birth and the postnatal period. Midwives care for the women, her newborn and the family by providing health counselling and education as well as clinical care. This work invovles education in pregnancy, preparation for parenthood and may extend to women’s health, sexual or reproductive health and child health. A midwife may practise in various settings including the home, community, hospitals, clinics or birth centres.
An accredited course in midwifery must be completed to
be registered and/or legally licensed to practise as a midwife.
Courses in Midwifery
Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Midwifery D355
On successful completion of this combined course, students will be eligible for registration as a ‘nurse’ and as a ‘midwife’ on the separate registers of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.
The Master of Midwifery (12 credit points) aims to produce graduates with the knowledge, values, attributes, and competencies that reflect the philosophy, nature and scope of midwifery practice in accordance with the requirements of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA).
The course is available for registered nurses who wish to become a registered midwife; for currently practising midwives who wish to upgrade their hospital based qualification or for those who already have a graduate diploma award course. Current practitioners who wish to upgrade their qualification may not be required to complete practice hours or continuity of care experiences with childbearing women.
In addition there is a program of study for those who seek re-recognition of their qualification as a midwife with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia through successful completion of 4 credit points of study and practice requirements.
The first 8 credit points of study for the Master of Midwifery is undertaken as an on-campus course conducted at the Melbourne Campus with video conferencing offered to non-metropolitan sites. This part of the course is offered over 1.5 years through a combination of full-time and part-time study and is supported by a range of interactive teaching methods. Following successful completion of the 8 credit points of study, you are eligible to apply to the NMBA for registration as a ‘midwife’. You can choose exit from the course at this point (equivalent to a Graduate Diploma).
For those who wish to continue in the Master of Midwifery, they can either undertake course work or project work, equivalent to 4 credit points, as an off-campus enrolment.Websites
Australian College of Midwives (ACM)
Information includes the ‘Code of Practice for Midwives’ and other documents related to practice.
International Confederation
of Midwives (ICM)
Information includes meetings, congresses and publications.
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA)
Information includes the ‘Code of Practice for Midwives’ and ‘National
Competency Standards for the Midwife.
