Bachelor of Midwifery

The Bachelor of Midwifery prepares people for practice as midwives in the care of childbearing women and their families.

This program is available via full-time study only.

Our approach to teaching is to guide and support our midwifery students to learn in a safe and welcoming environment. All our midwifery academics have strong backgrounds in midwifery practice. Our Bachelor of Midwifery degree has been jointly developed with the Hunter New England Area Health Service, and is being provided in partnership with the health service. The clinical educators will be part of the health service staff thus ensuring that our midwifery students are guided and supported by clinicians who are part of the workforce. Our program is based on contemporary midwifery theory, prepares students for new models of maternity care and has a unique emphasis on primary health care including health promotion, indigenous health and mental health issues. Graduates of our Bachelor of Midwifery are eligible to apply for registration to practise as a midwife with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. Every effort is made to support students in their academic endeavours and, at the end of their program, students are well prepared for Honours or Masters degree study if they choose to do this.

Midwives work as members of multidisciplinary health care teams in hospitals, birth centres and mental health services. They also work as primary health care practitioners in free standing birth centres, community health centres, GP settings and private practice. Midwifery is a world wide profession, so many opportunities are available in a variety of overseas countries.

Students will apply for admission to University Admission Centre in the normal way. Selection will be based on supply and demand, and use Australian Tertiary Admission Ranks (ATARs).

Students who completed Year 12 prior to 2009 or who completed in another state will be assessed on rank equivalents under the approved University Admission Centre's qualification schedules. These schedules include post-secondary, tertiary, professional, bridging, mature age, vocational and enabling/bridging qualifications. Based on their residential postcodes, NSW rural applicants (defined by the University's footprint in its Year 12 Regional and Rural Bonus Scheme) will be given a four rank points bonus. All current year rural school leavers will also automatically receive four bonus points based on their school postcode as part of the University's normal bonus scheme.

Indigenous applicants will be invited to interview according to the University's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Entry Program. Members of the midwifery staff will participate in the assessment and selection of Indigenous students (as is usual in the University).

Students who completed their education in a non-English speaking country must have an IELTS of 7.0 on admission in line with University policy.

The Bachelor of Midwifery is based on some assumed knowledge:

• English Band 4 or higher
• General maths
• Biology and/or chemistry.

Applicants who do not have the relevant qualifications for admission may enrol in one of the University's enabling programs.

Students who want to qualify for admission to the Bachelor of Midwifery are formally advised to undertake Chemistry and the Life Sciences, and 20 units of Humanities courses as part of their enabling program. At the end of the non-Indigenous enabling programs, students will receive a score based on the average of the marks gained in each course. This score is provided to UAC who convert it into an ATAR.

• National Police Certificate
• Working with Children Check
• Prohibited Employment Declaration

• Completion of a Senior First Aid Certificate by the beginning of Semester 2 of Year 1.

The Recognition of Prior Learning practice for the Bachelor of Midwifery will be in line with Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia requirements, i.e. students will be given recognition of prior learning based on having completed units of study that are 80% equivalent in terms of content and objectives.

If you wish to apply for credit for studies completed at another institution or if you are changing programs within the University and wish to transfer your credit to new program go to http://www.newcastle.edu.au/service/credit-transfer/ and click on How to apply for credit.

Honours is not available at this time, however, it is envisaged that a Honours program may be developed.

Students are required to undertake 636 hours of continuity of care experience in relationship with childbearing women and 610 hours of placement in maternity units and community health settings.

Graduates of this program are eligible to apply to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia for registration as a Midwife in New South Wales. Being registered as a Midwife in NSW qualifes the graduate to registration in any state of Australia and in New Zealand.

This program is not available to International students.

Students who have impaired function in their hands or arms, or a audio/visual impairment will have difficulty pursuing this program. It is highly advisable for any prospective student with such a disability to contact the Faculty to discuss the issue.

Students with disabilities who require reasonable adjustments to undertake their program should contact the Disability Support Service before semester or early in the semester. Some adjustments need up to 4 weeks lead time to organise, so it is imperative that early contact is made.

Please note: All students must fulfil the inherent requirements of the programs and courses they are undertaking. While reasonable adjustments can be made, these adjustments cannot compromise academic integrity. It is the student's responsibility to check all the requirements of courses, and consider the effects of any medical condition or disability on their ability to complete course requirements. Please visit http://www.newcastle.edu.au/service/disability/ for more info.

All students are required to have completed the Academic Integrity Module available in Blackboard. The module is to be completed by the end of week 4 of the student's first semester of enrolment. Grades will not be released until this module is completed.