MDWF29004 - Midwifery Professional Experience 3

Showing: 2026 HE Term 1
General Information

Unit Synopsis

This is the third of three clinical placement units designed to provide you with supervised, real-world experience in midwifery practice while integrating the underpinning theoretical knowledge essential for your development. The goal of this unit is to consolidate your clinical skills in facilitating normal childbearing, as well as to develop your capability in managing complex factors, preparing you for a confident transition to the workforce. This unit focuses on the care of women, newborns, and families across the antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal periods, including those experiencing physiological and psychosocial complexities. You will have the opportunity to assess, plan, provide, and evaluate midwifery care that supports normal childbearing and responds effectively to complexities. You will provide care in collaboration with women, their families, and the wider healthcare team. Emphasis is placed on effective communication, clinical judgment, and the appropriate use of consultation and referral processes, guided by the Australian College of Midwives (ACM) National Midwifery Guidelines for Consultation and Referral. In this unit, students are required to complete a minimum of 264 hours of clinical placement and to undertake Continuity of Care Experiences (COCEs). Attendance at a five-day residential school is mandatory. To successfully complete this unit, you must also pass the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), conducted during the residential school.

Details

Level Postgraduate
Unit Level 9
Credit Points 12
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 1
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.25
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Pre-requisite: MDWF29003 Midwifery Professional Experience 2

Co-requisite: MDWF29007 Pharmacology for Midwifery Practice

 

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 Compulsory Residential School
View Unit Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026


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).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 12-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 25 hours of study per week, making a total of 300 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Case Study 50%
2. Reflective Practice Assignment 50%
3. Portfolio 0%

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

Past Exams

Previous Feedback

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.

Unit Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Critically evaluate and apply culturally safe, evidence-informed midwifery care that promotes health equity and responds to the diverse needs of women, families, and communities, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
  2. Construct advanced, evidence-informed midwifery care strategies through clinical reasoning and professional judgment, working autonomously and collaboratively across the full spectrum of childbearing
  3. Formulate, implement, and evaluate holistic midwifery care across diverse clinical scenarios throughout the childbearing continuum, applying advanced clinical judgment and integrating emerging technologies and digital health tools to enhance safety, continuity, and quality
  4. Critically reflect upon and substantiate clinical learning and midwifery practice related to the comprehensive, holistic care of women and babies across the childbearing continuum, articulating insights that advance professional development and practice excellence
  5. Exhibit progressive development of midwifery competence in alignment with the Nursing and Midwifery Board Australia (NMBA) Midwife Standards for Practice (2018), integrating advanced clinical reasoning, reflective practice, and evidence-based skills to deliver safe, ethical, and woman-centred care.

The learning outcomes and the unit content will meet the following:

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) Midwifery Education Standards (2021)

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 practice

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 (2021)

Clinical governance

Partnering with consumers

Preventing and controlling healthcare-associated infection

Medication safety

Comprehensive care

Communicating for safety

Recognising and responding to acute deterioration

The Nursing and Midwifery Digital Health Framework (2020)

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Case Study • • • •
2 - Reflective Practice Assignment • •
3 - Portfolio • • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Professional Level
• Advanced Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Knowledge • • • • •
2 - Communication • • • •
3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills • • • •
4 - Research • • • • •
5 - Self-management • •
6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility • • • • •
7 - Leadership • •
8 - First Nations Knowledges • • • • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Professional Level
• Advanced Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 8