Graduate Diploma of Midwifery

What is this course about?

CSU's Graduate Diploma of Midwifery combines theory and practice in a minimum 12-month period of distance education study, enabling registered nurses to be employed as midwifery students and remain in their communities while gaining all the required midwifery experience.

This course will be offered from Session 1, 2014, pending approval from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australian (NMBA). Registered midwives wishing to upgrade their qualifications can enrol in Session 3, 2013.

CSU's Graduate Diploma of Midwifery is offered by distance education. Blended learning strategies enable registered nurses to be employed as midwifery students to a partnering maternity service and to remain in their communities while achieving the majority, if not all, of their required midwifery practice experience. This course is undertaken over a minimum of 12 months, but may take up to 18 months depending on the employing maternity service.

CSU has many years of experience in educating midwifery students to the level required to enable them to apply for registration as midwives with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA).

The midwifery course at Charles Sturt University commenced in 1990 after concern was raised by local maternity services about decreasing numbers of midwives in rural NSW. The course now enrols more than 80 students a year with more than 55 partnering maternity services accredited to employ CSU midwifery students in ACT, NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria.

The CSU Graduate Diploma model has been designed to enable registered nurses to be employed as midwifery students for the full duration of the course while concurrently studying the theoretical component by distance education. Students are permitted to work only in midwifery practice (rather than care for general patients) during their course. Upon successful completion of the midwifery practice and academic study, students are eligible to apply for registration as a midwife with the NMBA.

Study by distance education provides opportunities for rural students to remain in their communities and achieve a midwifery qualification. The program is also increasingly utilised by urban students in city maternity services.

Registered midwives who wish to gain a Graduate Diploma of Midwifery can also enter this program and will not need to complete any practical component or to attend residential schools.

An intake in Session 3 is only available for registered midwives upgrading their qualifications.

Application process

Registered nurses wishing to undertake this course to become registered midwives must have employment as a midwifery student in one of CSU's partnering maternity services. Application processes differ depending on where you wish to undertake your midwifery practice placement.

If you wish to be employed as a midwifery student in a NSW public hospital, you must apply via the NSW Health website beween early July and early August in the year prior to which you wish to enrol. The application process is through MidStART and information is available online. The MidStART information book is available online from May each year. Follow the instructions to select both the maternity service (public hospital) where you wish to undertake your midwifery practice, and indicate that you wish to study through CSU.

Should you wish to undertake your midwifery practice in a private or interstate hospital, you need to contact the midwifery facilitator in that unit. For a list of all partnering maternity units or if you have any further questions, contact CSU on 1800 334 733.

Admission requirements for the Graduate Diploma of Midwifery at CSU

Closing dates for applications

Application closing dates will be determined in relation to hospital acceptance notifications. However, you are required to submit your application for enrolment to CSU online at the same time that you apply through MidStART (or through the hospital, if you are applying interstate or at a private hospital). CSU will keep your application on hold until you notify the University that your MidStART or hospital application has been successful. You need to do this prior to 1 November for intake in Session 1, and prior to 1 May for intake in Session 2. Contact info.csu on 1800 334 733 (free call) or make an online enquiry for further details.

Credit

Registered midwives wishing to upgrade their qualifications will receive an initial credit package of 24 points (the midwifery practice subject), with up to a further 8 credit points available, depending on midwifery experiences and qualifications.

Articulation

After successful completion of the Graduate Diploma of Midwifery, students continuing on to study CSU's Master of Midwifery can apply for 64 points credit.

Scholarships

Information on scholarships is available from the following sources:

• Nursing and Midwifery Board
• State Nurses Association
• State Midwives Association
• Royal College of Nursing Australia
• State Health Department
• Australian College of Midwives

More about Nursing and midwifery scholarships

Residential school

Students who are not registered midwives are required to attend two compulsory residential schools at Charles Sturt University's Wagga Wagga Campus.

The first is held before the start of midwifery practice and is of six days' duration. This school aims to introduce the student to:

• the midwifery profession and woman-centred midwifery philosophy
• CSU support staff and Graduate Diploma of Midwifery staff 
• the use of study materials and course requirements 
• lectures, demonstrations and simulation workshops on selected areas of midwifery practice. 

The second six-day residential school is usually held about halfway through the course. Residental schools provide lectures, simulated learning experiences and opportunities to explore areas of midwifery practice with peers.

Course duration

This course takes a minimum of 12 calendar months to complete. However, some maternity units will employ and contract a student for up to 18 months. After a minimum 12 month period, once all required experiences and hours have been met and students have been assessed as competent (at the level of a beginning registered midwife) in all prescribed midwifery professional experiences, students submit their final documentation to the University, regardless of the length of their midwifery student contract. On successful completion of all course requirements, the University notifies AHPRA that the student has successfully completed all midwifery course requirements and they are eligible to apply to the NMBA for midwifery registration. Nursing registration must be maintained throughout the duration of the course.

Graduation requirements

To graduate and be eligible for registration as a midwife, students must satisfactorily complete 64 points comprising six compulsory subjects and completion of a concurrent minimum 12-month midwifery practice component (four days per week) undertaken during enrolment in the course.

Academic expectations

For each 8 point subject at CSU, students should normally expect to spend between 140-160 hours engaged in the specified learning and assessment activities (such as attending lectures or residential schools, assigned readings, tutorial assistance, individual or group research/study, forum activity, workplace learning, assignments or examinations). The student workload for some subjects may vary from these norms as a result of approved course design.

Students will be assessed on the basis of completed assignments, examinations, workplace learning, or other methods as outlined in specific subject outlines.

Where applicable, students are responsible for travel and accommodation costs involved in workplace learning experiences, or attending residential schools (distance education students).

Expectations relating to academic, workplace learning, time and cost requirements for specific subjects are provided in the subject abstracts and in course materials.

Admission requirements

Applicants are required to be registered nurses within Australia.

Students wishing to register as a midwife

Students entering this course must be registered nurses to gain registration as a midwife. The majority of students who enter this course have had more than 12 months' clinical nursing experience. Students who wish to apply to NMBA for registration as a midwife upon completion of their Graduate Diploma must study all other subjects while undertaking a minimum 12-month midwifery practice placement to be eligible.

Registered midwives

Registered midwives who wish to complete the Graduate Diploma of Midwifery will be eligible for a minimum of 24 points credit, with a further 8 points credit available depending on previous studies and experience.

Application process

NSW public hospital

If you wish to be employed as a midwifery student in a NSW public hospital, you must apply:

• between early July and early August in the year prior to which you wish to enrol
• online on the NSW Health website and follow the MidStART links (indicate the hospital you wish to be employed at and that you would like to study at Charles Sturt University)

Once you have been through the application and interview process and become a successful applicant at your chosen hospital, you must confirm your contract to be eligible to study Midwifery at CSU.

Non-NSW hospital or private NSW hospital

If you wish to be employed as a midwifery student in a non-NSW hospital or private NSW hospital, you must apply through the partnership hospital at which you wish to be employed as a midwifery student while enrolled at CSU.

Registered midwife applicants

If you are already a registered midwife and wish to upgrade your qualifications, you will not be employed as a midwifery student and you apply direct to the University. Please state in your application cover letter that you are already a registered midwife seeking to upgrade your qualifications. Note: An intake in Session 3 is open only to students who are already registered midwives.

Student support services are available for all students to assist them to achieve all graduate outcomes and to be able to demonstrate competency at the level of a beginning registered midwife at the completion of the course. The quality of students support services is evident in the extremely low attrition rate of students in the Graduate Diploma of Midwifery.

The Australian midwifery profession encourages students with diverse academic, work and life experiences to apply for enrolment. Each year, CSU's Graduate Diploma of Midwifery welcomes students who are registered nurses who are reasonably new graduates and also those with many decades of experience, often as nurse specialists, consultants, managers and educators. Some have a Bachelor of Nursing and others also have postgraduate qualifications. Many students have experienced pregnancy and parenthood, and many have not. Although the majority of midwifery students are female, some are male. What is important is not the specifics of your academic, work and life experiences, but your willingness to commit to work hard toward becoming a safe competent, confident and compassionate registered midwife.

English language proficiency

The University has minimum requirements for English language proficiency prior to entry to our courses. Some courses also have a requirement for a higher entry or exit level of English proficiency. More information on English language requirements.

Internet access

CSU places great emphasis on services to its students. It is a leader in the provision of online services and, in particular, the use of the internet in the support of teaching, administration and communications with students.

The online environment is so integrated into all aspects of student life and the learning experience at CSU that the University now assumes that all on campus and distance education students at CSU will have ongoing access to an internet connected computer capable of communicating with CSU online systems.

Students enrolled in Information Technology subjects (i.e. with an ITC subject code) may be required to have additional hardware and/or software that is deemed essential for the completion of the learning activities in that subject.

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This course is available to commence study in

Session 1; Session 2; Session 3