Postgraduate - Course3565 - Master of Clinical Midwifery

This course, offered by the School of Nursing and Midwifery is designed to provide higher-degree studies to registered midwives. The course will appeal to midwives seeking career advancement or Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia practitioner status for work in low-risk maternity and/or independent or specialist midwifery practice. It will also appeal to those interested in a pathway to undertaking higher research degrees.

On successful completion of the course, the student will be expected to be able to:

• demonstrate competency to practise as a midwife in a variety of maternity settings in accordance with the ANMC National competency standards for the midwife
• reflect attitudes which are congruent with the philosophy of valuing women, women centred care, and woman-midwife partnership
• work both as a primary carer and in collaboration with other healthcare professionals in providing comprehensive care through women's reproductive life
• demonstrate personal and professional attributes for the enhancement of self and the midwifery profession
• demonstrate critical and reflective thinking and decision making skills
• incorporate the principles of lifelong learning into midwifery practice
• identify clinical problems and utilise evidence based practice models to research clinical problems
• demonstrate skills in undertaking research including planning, development and implementation of a research project under supervision
• undertake leadership roles in midwifery practice in a range of settings promoting the role of midwifery in collaborative practice within the multidisciplinary team
• demonstrate knowledge, skills and attributes necessary for collaborative practice in regional and referral centres, midwifery led maternity services in a range of setting, and for development of peers and services within maternity units.

Up to 48 points may be granted for completion of a course 1240 Graduate Diploma of Midwifery from Monash University in the post-registration stream.

In order to be eligible for nurse/midwife practitioner status according to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, students in the Master of Clinical Midwifery must have completed the following pharmacology unit as part of their postgraduate studies:

This course is offered via coursework and a research project/minor thesis, or by coursework only.

Students complete the following over three semesters of study:

• MID5005 Advancing midwifery practice (compulsory core unit)

plus one of the following options:

Coursework-only option

• 60 points selected from the list of post-registration units below

Coursework and thesis option

• 24 points selected from the list of post-registration units below
• a 36-point minor thesis

Units

• GHS5841 Research methods and issues*
• MID5007 Contextual and Professional Issues in Midwifery
• NUR5202 Nursing informatics
• NUR5204 Education in nursing and midwifery
• NUR5208 Therapeutic medication management**
• NUR5214 Advanced therapeutic interaction
• NUR5209 Education program development

*This unit is a prerequisite for undertaking the minor thesis.

** This unit must be completed in order to be eligible for nurse/midwife practitioner status, as outlined by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia,

Students who complete this course and achieve a distinction (70 per cent) in the minor research thesis or project and the research methods unit (GHS5841) may qualify for admission into higher degrees by research (HDR) including course 3438 Master of Philosophy and 0047 Doctor of Philosophy, amongst others. Admission is not automatic; an application form for the nominated HDR program must be submitted to the faculty's research degrees office for consideration upon completion of this course.

Master of Midwifery
Master of Clinical Midwifery

The actual award conferred may depend on units/majors/streams/specialisations studied, the level of academic merit achieved, the timing of study, or other factors relevant to the individual student's program of study.