Clinical Midwifery Practice 1 (MIDW1103)

Course overview

This course will provide students with the opportunity to commence their midwifery practice through learned knowledge, simulation skills, and clinical placement experience. When students start their clinical placement experience, they will also commence the requirements for midwifery practice experiences (MPEs) including Continuity of Care Experiences (CoCEs) that are necessary for course completion and registration as a midwife. Students will be assessed in practice ensuring safety and quality in link with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Midwife Standards for Practice (2018).

This course will provide students with the necessary foundational clinical skills required to commence midwifery practice. An overview of skills required to provide novice level midwifery care during the antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum periods including newborn care will be developed through simulation and commencement of clinical practice. In this course, students will be assessed in practice ensuring safety and quality in their beginning level of midwifery practice.

Throughout the semester, simulated learning experiences and clinical placement will be integrated with theoretical concepts covered in the companion courses. These experiences will occur throughout the semester at UQ and clinical placement sites. Clinical shifts will incorporate morning, afternoon or night duty shifts for 8 hours, and these shifts will occur either within the semester on Thursday, Friday Saturday or Sunday or over seven days of the week in the out of semester placement.ﾠ

Throughout the semester students are required to submit evidence of progress during placement via an online platform (ePAD). Documentation of hours and experiences are necessary to become registered as a Midwife. In MIDW1103 students are required to complete 80 hours (10 shifts) of clinical placement. Additional to these hours students are required to complete Midwifery Practice Experiences (MPE) and work with mothers in Continuity of Care Experiences (CoCE). Further break down of these experiences are below:

To register as a Midwife, students will complete the following experiences by the end of the three [3] year Bachelor of Midwifery degree:

• 10 Continuity of Care cases
• 100 antenatal episodes of care
• Act as primary accoucheur (assists in birth) for 30 women
• Provide direct and active care to a further 10 women throughout 1st stage of labour
• Experience in performing 20 newborn examinations
• Experience in caring for 40 women with complex needs.
• 100 postnatal episodes of care

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that the required MPE are achieved over the program. A minimum of 20 entries of MPE are to be achieved in MIDW1103, with the recommendation of being a primary accoucheur for two [2] births. Students must also recruit at least one [1] Continuity of Care Experience (CoCE) this semester. Please note that all experiences attended as part of the CoCE contribute to the required MPE for the semester

The Course Coordinator and assigned Practice Educator/Clinical Facilitator will provide support and regular ongoing evaluation of each student's midwifery practice experiences through the mid-point and final assessment aligned with the course. The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) requires documentation of each student's achievement of all required midwifery practice experiences (MPE) for graduation as a Midwife and your ePAD is the documentation platform for timely recording of these throughout your program.

Course requirements

Assumed background

There are noﾠpre-requisite courses for MIDW1103

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

NURS1004

Restrictions

BMid

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Aims and outcomes

The course aims to provide students with a foundation of midwifery skillsﾠthrough clinical practice gained in different midwifery settings.ﾠ This course will introduce students to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Midwife Standards for Practice (2018) and how these standards provide a framework for the care of women and babies.ﾠﾠ

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.

Assessment details

Clinical Placement Development

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Placement, Reflection

Weight

NGP

Due date

This assessment is due midway during placement, or approximately 40 hours, for both in semester and out of semester placement students.

Other conditions

Student specific.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

Students are required to complete and submit their Clinical Skill, reflection, and mid-point AMSAT in their ePAD

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

Clinical Placement Completion

• Hurdle

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Placement

Weight

NGP

Due date

This assessment is due at completion of placement, or approximately 80 hours, for both in semester and out of semester placement students.

Other conditions

Student specific.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Students are required to upload their completed Clinical Skills and reflections, Final AMSAT, MPE and CoCE via the ePAD.

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)

• Identity Verified

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Examination, Practical/ Demonstration

Weight

NGP

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Each student will be allocated a day and time slot as per the schedule on the Blackboard course site, not when the published Examination timetable says so (the published timetable shows only the earliest day/time for the OSCE).

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Task description

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Students are to retain a paper copy of completed and signed clinical skills assessment forms and follow communication using the links found in Assessment in the MIDW1103 Blackboard site.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Students who are sick during their allocated date and time must submit a medical certificate to apply for a deferred examination. Deferred examinations will be scheduled during the end of semester. Students must pass the deferred exam in order to pass the course.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is not available for this course.

Additional assessment information

• The School of NMSW permits the re-sitting of failed assessment items in specific and defined circumstances.
• The Clinical Skills assessment is completed during clinical placement and the student needs to achieve at least a developing or satisfactory grade. If this is not achieved, the student may repeat this skill at another time, ensuring both skills are completed to a minimum of a developing or satisfactory standard by the end of clinical placement hours (80 hours).

All items of assessment must be submitted and passed for students to be eligible to pass the course.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

The requiredﾠtexts will be used throughout the three year program. They are readily available from Clinical Key, https://www.clinicalkey.com/student/login or for purchase atﾠ https://theschoollocker.com.auﾠ

Also, there are multiple copies of all required texts in the UQ library branches. Editions which continuing students purchase in year 1 will be appropriate for use throughout the remainder or the program.

PPL 6.20.01 Information and Communication Technology

Provides information in respect to the use of the students UQ Email account and their responsibility to check email and their right to forward email.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Additional learning activity information

The contact requirements for this semester include: 

• 80 hours clinical hours (10 shifts)
• Attendance at one (1) x Course and Practice requirement lecture.
• Attendance at one (1) x How to use your ePAD lecture
• Attendance at ALL face-to-face (changes to location of sessions can occur based on university directives) CBL sessions 

The workshops are NOT counted in clinical hours.

Course & Practice Requirement Lecture and How to use your ePAD Lecture - Attendance at these lectures is highly recommended and will clearly outline the requirements of the course. 

Online Learning modules - Self directed modules are provided to enhance your personal learning opportunity and are not assessed. Any questions regarding the modules should be directed to the Course Coordinator.

Self directed learning is a mode of instruction which allows the students to take responsibility for their own learning in order to address individual learning needs. Students will actively engage in self directed learning activities while on practice placement. This learning should be directed toward developing specific knowledge which underpins the roles and skills required of a midwife. Students are encouraged to access learning opportunities and resources which are available in the clinical practice setting in order to meet their identified learning needs.

Clinical Based Learning (CBL): Simulation Workshops 

Group based learning depends on the contribution of each student. As self-directed learners, students are expected to participate at every session. The absence of a student changes the dynamics in the group. Therefore, attendance at ALL CBL sessions is compulsory. In the case of an anticipated absence from any of the sessions, you should make alternative arrangements for the management of learning responsibilities. Students unable to attend at short notice must contact the Course Coordinator as soon as practicable. Normal clinical practice uniform is to be worn at these sessions.

A clinical skill may not be undertaken in the clinical setting until such time as it has been demonstrated in the simulated clinical skill workshop environment.

Clinical Placement

Students are required to participate in hospital / corporate mandatory credentialing and other relevant learning opportunities including online modules. Some clinical placement sites will also require student attendance at orientation sessions.

Clinical placements must finish within the rostered timeframe advised by the Clinical Placements Unit.

Absenteeism

Clinical placement shifts are a compulsory component of the Bachelor of Midwifery Program. If you are unable to attend clinical placements due to illness or exceptional circumstances, you must follow the instructions outlined in the current clinical placement guidelines. Please refer to this document which is available in the Clinical Placements BlackBoard site. 

Scope of Practice

Students must adhere to the MIDW1103 scope of practice at all times while on clinical placement. This requirement addresses patient safety and students may be removed from placement or risk failing the course if working outside scope. Refer to the guidelines in the Bachelor of Midwifery Scope of Practice document available in the Clinical Placements tab of the BlackBoard Site.

Clinical practice requirements

This learning activity requires mandatory submission of the following documents:

• a clinical time sheet (80 hours) to the ePAD
• completion and submission of MPE to the ePAD
• recruitment of required number of CoCE evidenced in the ePAD by submission of consent forms and commencement of CoCE journals
• completion of all assessments including AMSATS

Midwifery Practice Experiences

Students will commence completion of the following experiences, requiring 20 MPE this semester relative to their placement opportunities:

• 10 CoCE 
• 100 antenatal episodes of care
• Act as primary accoucheur for 30 women
• Provide direct and active care to a further 10 women throughout 1st stage of labour
• Experience in performing 20 newborn examinations
• Experience in caring for 40 women with complex needs.
• 100 postnatal episodes of care

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) requires documentation of each student’s achievement of all required midwifery practice experiences for graduation as a Midwife. Your ePAD is the documentation platform and needs to be completed in a timely manner.

Hospital placement information and clinical rosters are available through the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work Practice Education Team. Please forward all enquiries to the Practice Education Team nursingmidwiferyplacements@uq.edu.au or you can email the Practice Educator Lead (Midwifery) - Maggie Ciranni (m.ciranni@uq.edu.au).

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.

You'll also need to be aware of the following policies and procedures while completing this course:

• Fitness to Practise Policy
• Vaccinations and Immunisation Procedure
• Work Integrated Learning and Work Experience Policy