Course Title: Midwifery 4

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Midwifery 4

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
NURS1168	Bundoora Campus	Postgraduate	150H Health Sciences	Face-to-Face	Sem 2 2006, Sem 2 2007, Sem 2 2008, Sem 2 2009, Sem 2 2010, Sem 2 2011, Sem 2 2012, Sem 2 2013, Sem 2 2014, Sem 1 2015

Course Coordinator: Dr Jennifer James

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 6650

Course Coordinator Email: jennifer.james@rmit.edu.au

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

To be eligible to enrol in this course you need to have successfully completed

• NURS1165 - Midwifery 1
• NURS1166 - Midwifery 2

Contact your course coordinator if you think you may be eligible for recognition of prior learning. For further information go to: www.rmit.edu.au/students/enrolment/credit/he

Course Description

This is the final core course of midwifery knowledge and complements the information learned in Midwifery 1, 2, & 3. This course will continue the philosophical framework previously espoused, to emphasise the continuum of childbirth process and an integration of healthy and ’at-risk’ childbirth with a  focus on medical and obstetric conditions that may jeopardise pregnancy and childbirth. Initiating family learning with an emphasis on pregnancy, early parenting education and awareness of environmental issues impacting midwifery practice will be addressed. The practice component of this course is structured to complement the theoretical learning, and to assist you to develop competency within the boundaries of evidenced-based midwifery practice.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Course Learning Outcomes
At the conclusion of this course you should be able to:

• apply specific principles to the care of a woman  and baby experiencing variation to the normal during the postnatal and neonatal periods
• critically examine selected alterations to wellbeing that may affect the woman, her foetus and newborn baby during the postnatal and neonatal periods
• develop the necessary knowledge and skills to respond competently to obstetrical emergencies that may arise in the absence of a medical practitioner
• explore principles of adult teaching and learning
• demonstrate competency in the antenatal assessment and care of the women, including recognition of stages of labour, progress of labour and the detection of potential or actual aberrations
• demonstrate collaborative practice as a member of a multidisciplinary health care team.

Program Learning Outcomes
This course contributes to the development of the Program Learning Outcomes in the following way:

PLO1:  Functions in accordance with legislation and common
            law affecting midwifery practice

PLO2: Accepts accountability and responsibility for own actions
           within midwifery practice
PLO3:  Communicates information to facilitate decision making
            by the woman
PLO4: Promotes safe and effective midwifery care
PLO5: Assesses, plans, provides and evaluates safe and
           effective midwifery care
PLO6: Assesses, plans, provides and evaluates safe and
           effective midwifery care for the woman and/or baby with
           complex needs
PLO7: Advocates to protect the rights of women, families and
           communities in relation to maternity care
PLO8:  Develops effective strategies to implement and support
            collaborative midwifery practice
PLO9: Actively supports midwifery as a public health strategy
PLO10: Ensures midwifery practice is culturally safe
PLO11: Bases midwifery practice on ethical decision making
PLO12: Identifies personal beliefs and develops these in ways that enhance midwifery practice
PLO13: Acts to enhance the professional development of self and others
PLO14: Uses research to inform midwifery practice

Overview of Learning Activities

Learning activities you will undertake in this course include a mixture of lectures, seminars and include a clinical practicum in the midwifery setting. You will participate in classroom activities to facilitate discussion of concepts introduced and build on the practical experience undertaken in the workplace setting.  The seminar format will be used in order to give an overview of the specified study area and to direct you to foundational, critical and evidence based readings. Facilitated open discussions in the seminar context will draw on your student midwife clinical practice and life experiences as well as prescribed readings for the course. This approach will enable you to share, explore and debate issues regarding midwifery practice.as well as providing a solid theoretical basis to help you to achieve professional practice.   

You are required to undertake 508 hours of clinical midwifery practice as part of this course. Your practical must include “follow through” and community placement and you will be required to undertake a clinical practice workbook as part of this practice experience.

Overview of Learning Resources

The learning resources associated with this course will include targeted readings taken from a range of both primary and secondary sources. Material chosen may be digitally available to you. Lecture material may be delivered using a variety of technologies including Lectopia, Discussion Board interaction and Blackboard Collaborate workshops. Practice learning activities will be provided in a variety of ways, including simulated learning activities. Textbooks, journal articles and the electronic media also provide learning resources for students undertaking this course as well as the midwifery practice domain. RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems.

Overview of Assessment

The assessment associated with this course will comprise a formative and summative assessment and incorporate a variety of assessment modes. The assessment tasks will be designed to assess your ability to understand and apply concepts in relation to midwifery practice.

Your formative assessment will take the form of written or on-line assessment where you are required to provide evidence of your knowledge and application to practice. This may include a journal article critique, a literature review  or  clinical debriefing. Your summative assessment will be in an examination format.

Clinical practice will be assessed summatively by a clinical competency assessment demonstrating your ability to assess and care for the peri natal woman and her baby.

These assessments are designed to require students to demonstrate a critical analysis of the core principles presented in the course.

For information on grades used in RMIT courses see: www.rmit.edu.au/students/grading/highered

Assessment completed in the first half of the semester will provide feedback on your progress. Ongoing feedback on your skills will be provided from peers and staff.

If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or the Disability Liaison Unit if you would like to find out more.

This course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies and procedures which are described and referenced, at: www.rmit.edu.au/students/assessment