Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Midwifery (Honours) - 2018

The Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Midwifery (Honours) course aims to produce dynamic graduate nurses and midwives who will be leaders in healthcare in the 21st century. The course prepares nurses and midwives with the requisite knowledge and skills to be effective and perceptive communicators, graduating from the course with the capabilities and attributes to have a positive impact on the future of the nursing and midwifery professions and the quality of people's lives. As a graduate you will be recognised for your excellent and innovative practice and leadership in nursing and midwifery. By reflecting contemporary nursing and midwifery knowledge and practice, clinical reasoning skills, research literacy and technology you will identify and effect change in health care.

Midwives play a crucial role in maternity care provision working in partnership with women during pregnancy, birth and in the postnatal period. Completion of this course produces a highly capable practitioner with a broad range of skills who is able to work within the interdisciplinary health team in nursing and midwifery practice settings. The versatility of the nurse and midwife has become increasingly important in Australian and international health services and the two qualifications 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, clinical judgment and research literacy 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 pregnancy to after birth in any situation, including obstetric 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. medical imaging, nutrition and dietetics, occupational therapy, paramedic, physiotherapy, 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.

Bachelor of Nursing

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

Upon successful completion of this course it is expected that you will be able to:

1. demonstrate the knowledge, skills and attributes appropriate for a competent entry level professional registered nurse
2. apply critical reasoning skills to explain biomedical and social sciences concepts underpinning nursing practice
3. recognise the intrinsic value of people irrespective of culture, values, beliefs and socio-economic status
4. demonstrate nursing practice that is ethical, respectful and collaborative, and assume leadership, supervisory and management roles as appropriate
5. plan, implement and critically evaluate nursing care activities which encourage individuals and groups to achieve independence or self-managed in achieving and maintaining optimal levels of health
6. create personal strategies to maintain high standards in professional life and contribute to the professional nursing community, the multidisciplinary healthcare team and engage in lifelong learning
7. demonstrate safe nursing practice as described in the ANMC National competency standards for the registered nurse.

Bachelor of Midwifery (Honours)

These course outcomes are aligned with the Australian Qualifications Framework level 8 and Monash Graduate AttributesAustralian Qualifications Framework level 8 and Monash Graduate Attributes (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/alignmentofoutcomes.html).

Upon successful completion of this course it is expected that you will be able to:

1. demonstrate achievement of the skills and competence related to the Bachelor of Nursing course outcomes
2. demonstrate the knowledge, skills and attributes appropriate for a competent entry level registered midwife
3. apply critical reasoning skills to explain biomedical and social sciences concepts underpinning midwifery practice
4. create personal strategies to maintain high standards in professional life and contribute to the professional midwifery community
5. have the ability to learn independently and be innovative in your approach to analysis, critical thinking, problem-solving and evaluation in relation to midwifery practice
6. appreciate the value of research and be skilled at accessing, critically appraising and applying the best available evidence to your everyday midwifery practice
7. demonstrate research literacy, critical appraisal skills, and the ability to conduct a quality research project
8. demonstrate safe midwifery practice in collaboration with the multidisciplinary maternity care team as described in the ANMC National competency standards for the midwife.

This course requires you to undertake off-campus rural and metropolitan clinical placements. In the clinical setting you will have an opportunity to apply theory to practice under supervision. Attendance is mandatory for the clinical component of each unit. If your skill or knowledge is found to be inadequate, access to the clinical component of the unit will be denied. You may 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.

Clinical expenses

You are responsible for all travel and accommodation expenses during clinical placement. Uniforms and accessories are required for clinical placements and you will be notified regarding purchase arrangements upon commencement.

Access to web camera

Students will undertake some online assessments throughout the course. To access these courses students will need to download specific software which requires a webcam. If students do not have a webcam available, they will need to undertake the online assessments on campus in the computer lab or library.

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

The Bachelor of Midwifery (Honours) course builds on the fundamental skills and knowledge required for nursing and on the clinical nursing practice developed through the Bachelor of Nursing, adding the specialist knowledge to provide continuous care to mothers and babies from pregnancy through to after birth in any situation, including emergencies and the knowledge and skills to locate, interpret and critically evaluate research relevant to advanced practice in midwifery.

The course develops through themes addressing your personal and professional development; understanding of society, population, health and illness; translation of knowledge for clinical nursing and midwifery practice; clinical nursing skills; and advanced clinical midwifery theory and practice.

Part A. Personal and professional development

These studies focus on your development as a professional who is able to function and communicate both as a member of a health care team and autonomously as required. You will learn to become resilient, with a sense of self and of self-efficacy, to manage stress and your own health, identify professionally with both nursing and midwifery culture, and develop skill in client interactions and reflective practice. You will also develop your capacity to work within the healthcare environment, understand relevant issues of law and ethics, professional standards and accountability, inter-professional education and teamwork, leadership skills and autonomous practice, effective and perceptive communication, including therapeutic communication, and advocacy for the clients and carers.

Part B. Society, population, health and illness

These studies focus on the social, environmental and behavioural contexts and determinants of health and illness and the significance of these contexts on both the practice of nursing and midwifery. You will consider public, population and global health, health promotion and applied community health education, learn about community diversity and vulnerable populations and develop the essential cultural competence for nursing and midwifery. You will also develop the approaches to knowledge and information management needed for evidence-based practice and the knowledge and skills to locate, interpret and critically evaluate research relevant to advanced practice in midwifery.

Part C. Translation of knowledge for clinical practice

These studies provide the foundations of evidence-based healthcare as a highly skilled nurse. You will learn about the biological basis of human health through study of the biosciences (anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology of disease and microbiology) and pharmacology (including psychotropic medications). You will develop the capacity to apply this and other knowledge in healthcare interventions, including mental health, to critically evaluate evidence in relation to health and healthcare management and to make informed clinical decisions.

Part D. Clinical nursing skills

Through these studies you will acquire the clinical skills needed for the care of individuals including the assessment of client's health status in order to determine and deliver competent nursing care. This will involve the integration of knowledge, patient assessment, practical procedures, patient handling, communication, clinical reasoning, interpersonal skills and management skills. You will cover medical and surgical nursing, including pharmacology, pain management, wound assessment and acute care, mental health care and care across the age span. Your skills will be developed in a range of contexts including health care facilities, community environments and simulated laboratory settings.

Part E. Advanced midwifery theory and practice

The focus of these studies is the effective care for women and their babies from 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.

The course comprises 192 points of study. It develops through theme studies in Part A. Personal and professional development and Part B. Society, population, health and illness (48 points), Part C. Translation of knowledge for clinical practice and Part D. Clinical nursing practice (84 points) and Part E. Advanced midwifery theory and practice (60 points). While units are clustered below under themes that show the main emphasis of the unit, the course develops the themes in an integrated way so most units address more than one theme and almost all address theme Part A.

The requirements for the award of each degree in this double degree course are the same as when the award is earned through a single course. However, some required units for each degree also count towards the other degree.

The course progression map will assist you to plan to meet the course requirements, and guidance on unit enrolment for each semester of study.

Units are 12 credit points unless otherwise stated.

Part A. Personal and professional development and part B. Society, population, health and illness (48 points)

You must complete:

• MID1000 Introduction to midwifery (6 points)
• NUR1013 Indigenous health for nursing and midwifery practice (0 points)
• NUR1110 Communication and scholarship in nursing and midwifery (6 points)
• NUR1111 Global health and cultural competence in nursing and midwifery practice (6 points)
• NUR1113 Law, ethics and leadership in nursing and midwifery (6 points)
• NUR2227 Primary health care in nursing and midwifery contexts (6 points)
• MID3222 Safety in nursing and midwifery contexts (6 points)
• NUR4111 Translation of nursing knowledge for primary healthcare practice

Part C. Translation of knowledge for clinical practice and Part D. Clinical nursing skills (84 points)

You must complete:

• NUR1112 Fundamental skills and knowledge for nursing and midwifery practice 1
• NUR1114 Fundamental skills and knowledge for nursing and midwifery practice 2
• NUR2225 Mental health in nursing and midwifery practice contexts (6 points)
• NUR2226 Nursing practice contexts 1
• NUR2228 Nursing practice contexts 2
• NUR2229 Nursing practice contexts 3 (6 points)
• NUR3310 Translation of nursing knowledge to complex acute care practice
• NUR3312 Translation of nursing knowledge in preparation for professional nursing practice

Part E. Advanced midwifery theory and practice (60 points)

You must complete:

• MID2000 Foundations for midwifery practice
• MID2010 Working with birthing women
• MID3202Not offered in 2018 Supporting the newborn infant
• MID4000 Theory and practice of complex midwifery
• MID4110 Professional midwifery practice

You may be eligible to exit the double degree program and graduate with M2006 Bachelor of Nursing after three years and completion of 144 points of study, provided you have satisfied the requirements of that course.

Graduates of the Bachelor Nursing and Bachelor of Midwifery (Honours) are eligible to apply to enrol in M6016 Master of Nursing or M6001 Master of Advanced Health Care Practice specialising in clinical midwifery.