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Unit Synopsis
This unit introduces you to the midwife’s role and scope of practice, with a particular focus on the legal, professional, and ethical frameworks that support safe and effective care. You will critically examine the philosophical and historical foundations of midwifery and explore the social and cultural influences that shape women’s choices and decision-making in maternity care. You will critically analyse key regulatory and ethical standards, such as the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Midwife Standards for Practice and Code of Conduct, the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) Code of Ethics, and relevant Australian legislation. Additionally, you will gain an understanding of the structure of Australian maternity services, available models of midwifery care, and the principles of inclusive and culturally safe practice. You will also extend your existing research skills by learning to identify, interpret, and critically appraise evidence relevant to maternity care. These skills will support your capacity to engage in reflective, evidence-informed practice and contribute to the advancement of woman-centred midwifery care.
Details
| Level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 8 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 1 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
Co-requisite: Midwifery Professional Experience 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). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School | No Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2027
Term 1 - 2027 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 Postgraduate 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
To see assessment details from an earlier availability, please search via a previous term.
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.
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.
To see Learning Outcomes from an earlier availability, please search via a previous term.