In Progress
Please note that this Unit Profile is still in progress. The content below is subject to change.Overview
In this unit, you will explore the role and scope of the midwife and the legal and ethical parameters framing midwifery practice. You will explore the philosophical and historical contexts underpinning the midwifery profession including the discourses that influence women's decision making in relation to their care. Legal and ethical parameters framing midwifery practice and their importance to professional accountability will be critically examined; specifically the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA), the Midwife Standards for Practice and Code of Conduct for Midwives, the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) International Code of Ethics for Midwives and other relevant Australian legislation. You will also be introduced to the Australian maternity services, models of midwifery care available, and the provision of inclusive culturally safe practice.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Co-requisite: MDWF12003 Midwifery Practice 1
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2025
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student zoom session
I enjoyed the discussion forums. These were very topical and raised questions about how to remain woman-centred when facing ethical dilemmas. I really appreciated how it made me think about the woman and also my own student scope of practice, but there were a lot of forums which added to my stress.
Continue to provide engaging and thought-provoking topics that align with legal and ethical dilemmas in contemporary midwifery practice, stimulating student interest. Consider reducing the number of discussion topics across the term.
Feedback from Moodle
The written assessments are linked together and this helped me to complete assessments in a timely way.
The unit coordinator will continue to provide structured assessments to improve understanding of theoretical concepts and demonstrate the application of legal and ethical frameworks to midwifery practice.
- Apply the historical, philosophical, legal, and ethical concepts applicable to midwifery practice and their relationship to the professional scope of the registered midwife
- Analyse professional accountability in relation to the responsibilities and obligations of the midwife
- Explore the different models of maternity care and the professional discourses that influence women's decision making in relation to their care
- Integrate effective, culturally safe, and inclusive ethical decision making within the midwifery profession.
Content in this unit incorporates a number of professional requirements including the following:
The draft ANMAC Midwifery Education Standards (2020).
Standard 1 Safety of the public.
Standard 3 Program of study.
Standard 5: Student assessment.
The National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (2017).
Clinical governance.
Partnering with consumers.
Preventing and controlling healthcare-associated infection.
Medication safety.
Comprehensive care.
Communicating for safety.
The NMBA Midwife Standards for Practice (2018).
Standard 1: Promotes evidence-based maternal health and wellbeing.
Standard 2: Engages in respectful partnerships and professional relationships.
Standard 3: Demonstrates the capability and accountability for midwifery practice.
Standard 5: Develops plans for midwifery practice.
Standard 6: Provides safe and quality midwifery practice.
The NMBA Code of Conduct for Midwives (2018).
Principle 1: Legal Compliance
Principle 2: Woman-centred practice.
Principle 3: Cultural practice and respectful relationships.
Principle 4: Professional behaviour.
Principle 7: Health and wellbeing.
The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) Code of Ethics for Midwives (2014).
Midwifery relationships.
Practice of midwifery.
Professional responsibilities of midwives.
Advancement of midwifery knowledge and practice.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Group Discussion - 30% | ||||
| 2 - Critical Review - 30% | ||||
| 3 - Portfolio - 40% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Group Discussion - 30% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Critical Review - 30% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Portfolio - 40% | ||||||||||