Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Midwifery

Nurses and midwives are among the most valued members of any community, and midwives play a crucial role in bringing new life into the world and caring for mothers and babies before, during and after birth. This course produces a registered nurse and a registered midwife, a highly capable individual able to work in partnership with the interdisciplinary team in general nursing and midwifery practice settings. The versatility of the nurse and midwife is becoming increasingly important in the provision of Australian and international health services and the joint qualification will make you highly employable in any practice setting, especially in rural and remote areas where being multi-skilled can save lives.

Monash nursing and midwifery graduates are sought after worldwide because of our teaching quality, which ensures that our graduates possess valuable skills in clinical reasoning, client care, communication, judgement and research developed through extensive clinical experience in a variety of local and international health agencies. These are underpinned and strengthened by our links to world-class medical researchers and major teaching hospitals.

The course will prepare you for increasingly complex health care situations in Australia and internationally. As a nursing graduate you will have acquired the knowledge and skills to be a competent beginning-level registered nurse who can provide leadership and care across the age continuum, and you will have the scope to provide care in multiple settings, including acute care, primary health care and health promotion. You will develop knowledge for the safe practice of clinical skills in a variety of health care facilities and services over the course of your studies, and develop a broad range of knowledge in relevant disciplines, enabling you to critically analyse health care situations, concepts and perspectives.

As a midwifery graduate you will add to the above capabilities the specialist knowledge to provide continuous care to mothers and babies from before to after birth in any situation, including emergencies.

You will have plenty of opportunity for clinical experience in diverse settings throughout Victoria and you may also get the opportunity to study and undertake clinical placements in Sweden or the UK under our successful student exchange programs. Your clinical and professional skills will be further developed through time spent working with students enrolled in other health science courses (i.e., occupational therapy, physiotherapy, paramedic, medical imaging, nutrition and dietetics, social work) enabling you to experience interdisciplinary service delivery and inter-professional education.

Successful completion of the course will lead to eligibility for registration as a registered nurse and a registered midwife with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. The nursing degree creates local, national and international opportunities in a range of health service areas, such as acute hospital care, mental health, rehabilitation, aged care, community-based care and rural and remote services. The midwifery degree creates opportunities in midwifery, including in antenatal, birth and postnatal areas. You could also specialise in neonatal, maternal, child health care or other fields with further study.

These course outcomes are aligned with the Australian Qualifications Framework level 7, the Bologna Cycle 1 and Monash Graduate AttributesAustralian Qualifications Framework level 7, the Bologna Cycle 1 and Monash Graduate Attributes (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/alignmentofoutcomes.html).

On completion of this course, graduates will be expected to:

1. meet currently accepted standards of nursing practice as set down in the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMC) National competency standards for the registered nurse
2. meet currently accepted standards of midwifery practice as set down in the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMC) National competency standards for the midwife
3. provide beginning-level holistic health care for individuals and communities in our multicultural society
4. practice within ethical and legal guidelines
5. plan, implement and evaluate care that encourages individuals to achieve optimum health and well being
6. demonstrate knowledge that is evidence-based and underpinned by sound political, historical, cultural and social understandings of health
7. appreciate the significance of ongoing education and research to improve practice
8. work collectively and collaboratively with others on the health care team and value the partnerships formed with people in their care.

Special requirements

Students must refer to the information available on the special requirements outlined below. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure they have the correct documentation.

Police checks

Students must have a current Police check regarding their suitability to undertake placements. Refer to the faculty's police checkspolice checks (http://www.med.monash.edu.au/current/police-checks.html) webpage.

Working with Children checks

Students must have a current Working with Children check regarding their suitability to undertake placements. Refer to the faculty's Working with Children checksWorking with Children checks (http://www.med.monash.edu.au/current/wwc-check.html) webpage.

Immunisation and infection requirements

In accordance with the National Health and Medical Research Council recommendations, this course requires that students comply with the faculty's Immunisation and vaccination policy and proceduresImmunisation and vaccination policy and procedures (http://www.med.monash.edu.au/current/immunisation/). These are designed to provide maximum protection against the increased risk of some vaccine preventable diseases for students, patients and workers in a health care setting.

This policy, and the associated procedures require that students have certain specified vaccinations, and have their blood borne virus status determined, before they commence a clinical placement. Students who have not complied with this policy may not be able to undertake clinical placement, with the attendant academic consequences.

Prospective students are provided detailed information on the effect of blood borne virus infection on the scope of practice of health care workers. Students who test positive to a blood borne virus (including HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C) will be required to consult a specialist medical practitioner approved by the faculty to provide advice on any necessary restrictions on work practices to protect patients and others from infection.

Drug administration policy

Students should be aware of their legal responsibilities regarding the administration and storage of drugs in keeping with the Drugs Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981 (Vic) and the Drugs Poisons and Controlled Substances Regulations 2006 (Vic). The School of Nursing and Midwifery have formulated a policy and students should be aware of the drug administration policy relevant to their particular year of study. Refer to the faculty's clinical guidelinesclinical guidelines (http://www.med.monash.edu.au/nursing/current.html) webpage.

Substances Regulations 2006 (Vic)

Students should be aware of the School of Nursing and Midwifery drug administration policy relevant to their particular year of study. Refer to the faculty's clinical guidelinesclinical guidelines (http://www.med.monash.edu.au/nursing/current.html) webpage.

Successful completion of the course will lead to eligibility for registration as both a registered nurse and as a registered midwife with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.

The course develops through theme studies in the human bioscience, the sociocultural context of health and illness, clinical assessment and nursing practice, midwifery theory and practice and professional practice, which come together in nursing and midwifery practice as demonstrated in the clinical placement units.

Part A. Human bioscience

These studies provides the foundation knowledge of human anatomy and physiology relevant to the allied health professions of nursing and midwifery. You will learn about the biological basis of human health and the working of human body. You will also develop the capacity to critically evaluate evidence in relation to health.

Part B. Sociocultural context of health and illness

These studies focus on the social, economic, and environmental factors that are determinants of health and of access to health care. You will also consider how policy, planning, organisation and delivery of health and healthcare impacts individuals and communities differently and the political and economic imperatives that inform them.

Part C. Clinical assessment and nursing practice

These studies develop your clinical competencies for nursing practice. You will acquire the knowledge and skills needed for the care of individuals including the assessment of clients' health status in order to determine and deliver competent nursing care. You will cover medical and surgical nursing, including pharmacology, pain management, wound assessment and acute care. You will also cover mental health care and care across the age span, focussing on evidence based interventions and management strategies

Part D. Midwifery theory and practice

The focus of these studies is the effective care for women and their babies during preconception through to early parenting. You will develop the midwifery knowledge and skills required to work with women throughout labour and birth. Assessment of labour progress, common interventions and pain management are addressed, as the complexities of childbearing and emergency birthing challenges. You will learn about the assessment and care of the newborn infant both healthy and ill, and how to initiate emergency management of the newborn infant.

Part E. Professional practice

These studies focus on your development as a professional who is able to function, communicate and learn as a member of a health care team and act autonomously as required. It will develop your understanding of evidence-based practice in health care delivery and of your professional responsibilities with regard to ongoing learning. You will consider the ethical and legal frameworks for health practice and research and the health professional's relationship and obligations to patients, patient families and professional colleagues in the various health care environments.

This course comprises 192 points of Nursing and Midwifery study.

The course develops through theme studies in: A. Human bioscience, B. Sociocultural context of health and illness, C. Clinical assessment and practice, D. Midwifery theory and practice and E. Professional practice, which come together in nursing and midwifery practice as demonstrated in the clinical placement units. Units are clustered under themes that show the main emphasis of the unit, however, most units address more than one theme.

The course progression mapcourse progression map (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2016handbooks/maps/map-4514.pdf) will assist you to plan to meet the course requirements, and guidance on unit enrolment for each semester of study.

Units are six credit points unless otherwise stated.

Part A: Human bioscience (12 points)

Students complete:

• BMA1901 Human structure and function
• BMA1912 Human bioscience in nursing

Part B. Sociocultural context of health and illness (12 points)

Students complete:

• MID4001 Preparation for practice (Midwifery)
• NUR3022 Integrated nursing practice 4

Part C. Clinical assessment and nursing practice (66 points)

Students complete:

• NUR1010 Foundations of nursing and midwifery practice
• NUR1102 Health assessment in clinical practice
• NUR2106 Integrated nursing practice 1 (12 points)
• NUR2107 Person centred mental health care
• NUR2206 Integrated nursing practice 2 (12 points)
• NUR2207 Mental health clinical practice
• NUR3002 Integrated nursing practice 3
• NUR3005 Chronic illness management in primary care (12 points)

Part D. Midwifery theory and practice (48 points)

Students complete:

• MID2000 Foundations of midwifery practice (12 points)
• MID2010 Working with birthing women (12 points)
• MID3202 Supporting the newborn infant (12 points)
• MID3000 Theory and practice of complex midwifery (12 points)

Part E. Professional practice (54 points)

Students complete:

• MID3110 Professional midwifery practice (12 points)
• NUR1001 Professional and scholarly communication
• NUR1105 Foundations of leadership in practice
• NUR1202 Legal issues and concepts
• NUR3001 Evidence based health care
• NUR3003 Education for clinical practice
• NUR3004 Preparing for practice (12 points)

Clinical practice

This course requires students to undertake off-campus clinical placements in nursing and midwifery settings. Clinical experience makes up approximately 50 per cent of the Bachelor of Nursing course and attendance is mandatory for the clinical component of each unit. All students will be required to attend a variety of clinical placements, which begin in the first year of the course and increase in duration and complexity as the course progresses. Travel to metropolitan and rural sites may be required.

Generally speaking, students on clinical experience will take on shift work, including weekend shifts and night duty, and work a supervised, unpaid 40 hour week. Make-up for time missed will be arranged in consultation with the clinical coordinator and unit coordinator on receipt of a medical certificate or other acceptable documentation.

A student may be denied access to or be withdrawn from a clinical practicum if required skills and knowledge are deemed inadequate, or on other grounds deemed appropriate by the head of school.

Graduates of the Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Midwifery who achieve a 70 percent average or higher across units at level three and four are eligible to apply to enrol in either the Honours degree of Bachelor of Nursing or Bachelor of Midwifery.

Graduates of the Bachelor Nursing and Bachelor of Midwifery are eligible to apply to enrol in the Master of Nursing or the Master of Advanced Health Care Practice specialising in clinical midwifery

You may exit this course early and apply to graduate with the Bachelor of Nursing after successful completion of 144 credit points of study, provided you have satisfied the award requirements of that course.