Unit Synopsis
This unit introduces you to the childbearing continuum and the role of the midwife in promoting and facilitating healthy processes. You will have the opportunity to develop an understanding of the underpinning philosophy of midwifery care which emphasises the concepts of ‘with woman’, midwife-woman partnerships, and continuity of care.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 2 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 1 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
There are no pre-requisites for the unit.
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). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School | No Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026
Term 1 - 2026 Profile
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.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Written Assessment | 50% |
| 2. Oral Examination | 50% |
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%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site .
Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 100.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 18.18% response rate.
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.
Source: CQU Success
Regarding having suggestions for improvement, a student wrote "I don't actually [have suggestions], I find this subject one of the most interesting and well-structured courses I have done, plenty of supporting information, relevant additional readings and good course content. [I am] thoroughly enjoying it!"
The unit coordinator will maintain the current structure of the unit, ensuring that study guides, lectures, and supplementary materials are reviewed and updated every year to maintain the current standard.
The unit coordinator will continue to maintain the current structure of the unit, with study guides, lectures, and supplementary materials reviewed and updated annually to ensure standards are consistently upheld.
Source: SUTE Feedback
A student provided written feedback that they found one of the guest lectures to have used some "judgmental" language.
In consultation with the Bachelor of Midwifery academic staff, the unit coordinator will review the lecture and will make amendments if this is found to be an issue.
The unit coordinator reviewed the lecture materials, amended as necessary and will continue to monitor future lectures for professional and inclusive language and provide guidance to guest lecturers.
Source: SUTE
I felt that I learnt a lot from the content in this unit. I would recommend that having more practice viva vocal exam questions available would be great, just to help students practice and prepare for the exam and build confidence.
A mock viva exam scenario (Zoom) and a viva study template, which are closely aligned with the assessment instructions and rubric, are currently provided to support student preparation. However, additional practice questions could be developed and incorporated in the future to further enhance student readiness and engagement.
In Progress
Source: SUTE
Fantastic feed back received from assignments.
The unit coordinator will continue to provide timely and constructive feedback, particularly in the first term, to support student learning and development.
In Progress
Source: SUTE
The learning content was extremely informative and helpful. Very enjoyable subject.
The unit coordinator will regularly review and update the structure of the unit, including study guides, lectures, and supplementary materials to maintain the current quality and relevance.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Interpret the anatomy and physiology of human reproduction, pregnancy, birth and lactation
- Analyse the role of the midwife in promoting and facilitating normal processes of the childbearing continuum
- Apply current evidence associated with the provision of midwifery care.
The proposed changes to learning outcomes and the unit will meet 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 Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (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 4: Undertakes comprehensive assessments.
Standard 5: Develops a plan for midwifery care.
Standard 6: Provides safe and quality midwifery practice.
Standard 7: Evaluates outcomes to improve midwifery practice.
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (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) International Code of Ethics for Midwives (2014).
1. Midwifery Relationships.
2. Practice of Midwifery.
3. The Professional Responsibilities of Midwives.
4. Advancement of Midwifery Knowledge and Practice.
National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (2017).
Clinical Governance Standard.
Partnering with Consumers Standard.
Preventing and Controlling Healthcare-Associated Infection Standard.
Medication Safety Standard.
Comprehensive Care Standard.
Communicating for Safety Standard.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment | • | • | • |
| 2 - Oral Examination | • | • | • |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 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 | • | ||
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | ||
| 2 - Oral Examination | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||||