Course Outline

HLT203 Collaborative Midwifery Practice

Course Coordinator:Holly Meyer (hmeyer@usc.edu.au) School:School of Health - Midwifery

2026Trimester 2

UniSC Sunshine Coast

Blended learning Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online.

Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.

What is this course about?

Description

This course will assist you to develop the knowledge and skills to support and care for the woman, infant and family needing additional medical and/or obstetric care during pregnancy, birth or in the postpartum period. This course advances your knowledge of practising in multi-disciplinary teams in a range of service contexts.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Blended learning
Learning materials – Online asynchronous learning and teaching recording. 1hr Week 1 12 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – On campus tutorial 2hrs Week 1 12 times

Course Topics

• Pathophysiology and physiology related to complicated pregnancy, birth and postnatal period

• Neonatal care

• Evidence based midwifery practice

• Midwifery assessment and referral

• Midwifery support during interventions

• Pharmacology

• Psychosocial, emotional and psychological challenges

• Cultural safety

• Collaborative care

• Advocacy in midwifery

What level is this course?

200 Level (Developing)

Building on and expanding the scope of introductory knowledge and skills, developing breadth or depth and applying knowledge and skills in a new context. May require pre-requisites where discipline specific introductory knowledge or skills is necessary. Normally, undertaken in the second or third full-time year of an undergraduate programs.

What is the unit value of this course?

12 units

How does this course contribute to my learning?

Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... Graduate Qualities Mapping Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... Professional Standard Mapping * Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
1 Identify the role of the midwife in the care of women requiring medical/obstetric care Ethical
3.6, 4, 5, 6
2 Advocate for, and support the principles of equity and self-determination for women requiring additional medical/obstetric care Ethical
1, 2, 5
3 Apply professional, ethical and legal codes and standards to midwifery care of women requiring additional medical/obstetric care Ethical
2, 3
4 Interpret and use evidence as a basis to inform midwifery practice for women and infants requiring additional medical/ obstetric care Creative and critical thinker
1, 4, 7
5 Apply principles and practices of academic writing and referencing. Engaged

                                    

* Competencies by Professional Body

CODE COMPETENCY
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
1 Standard 1: Promotes health and wellbeing through evidence-based midwifery practice
2 Standard 2: Engages in professional relationships and respectful partnerships
3 Standard 3: Demonstrates the capability and accountability for midwifery practice
3.6 The midwife uses relevant processes to identify, document and manage complexity and risk
4 Standard 4: Undertakes comprehensive assessments
5 Standard 5: Develops a plan for midwifery practice
6 Standard 6: Provides safety and quality in midwifery practice
7 Standard 7: Evaluates outcomes to improve midwifery practice

Am I eligible to enrol in this course?

Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.

Pre-requisites

HLT122 or HLT200 and enrolled in Program SC393

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

Not applicable

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Not applicable

Microcredential Information

Not applicable

How am I going to be assessed?

Grading Scale

Standard Grading (GRD)

High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL).

Details of early feedback on progress

Task 1 Online Assessment in week 4 provides formative feedback on academic progress and will identify the need for additional support

Assessment tasks

Delivery mode Task No. Assessment Product Individual or Group Weighting % What is the duration / length? When should I submit? Where should I submit it?
All 1 Case Study Individual 15%
750 words
Week 4 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 2 Oral and Written Piece Individual 40%
750 words + 5-minute oral presentation
Week 8 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 3 Examination - not Centrally Scheduled Individual 45%
1 hour.
Week 12 In Class
All - Assessment Task 1:Case Study
Goal:
Revise key concepts introduced in the first 4 weeks of the course and prepare for Assessment Task 2 and Task 3.
Product: Case Study
Authorship Statement:
Format:
You will choose a case study from the options provided on Canvas. Details regarding the assessment will be provided by the course coordinator on the course Canvas site.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Identify and manage pathology/complications
1 4
2
Interpret and use evidence as a basis to inform midwifery practice
3 4
3
Provide adequate information to assist decision making
1 3 4
4
Demonstrate appropriate written expression (academic writing, terminology, referencing etc.)
5
Generic Skills:
All - Assessment Task 2:Case Study
Goal:
Apply midwifery knowledge to a case study
Product: Oral and Written Piece
Authorship Statement:
Format:
You will choose a case study from options provided on Canvas. Details regarding the assessment will be provided by the course coordinator on the course Canvas site.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Identify and manage pathology/complications
1 4
2
Interpret and use relevant evidence as a basis to inform midwifery practice
3 4
3
Demonstrate a woman-centred approach to midwifery care
1 2 3
4
Demonstrate appropriate written expression (academic writing, terminology, referencing etc.)
4 5
5
Apply professional, ethical and legal codes to midwifery care
3
Generic Skills:
All - Assessment Task 3:In-class Assessment
Goal:
Demonstrate knowledge and application of evidence-based midwifery practice across the continuum of care.
Product: Examination - not Centrally Scheduled
Authorship Statement:
Format:
Details regarding the assessment will be provided by the course coordinator on the course Canvas site.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Interpret and use evidence as a basis to inform midwifery practice
4
2
Demonstrate an understanding of the midwife’s role in meeting the needs of women and their infants when medical intervention is required
1 2 3
3
Demonstrate an understanding of the role of the midwife in assisting women to make informed decisions that take into account their individual preferences and cultural need
1 2
4
Use relevant literature and critically analyse literature
4
5
Demonstrate appropriate written and oral expression (academic writing, terminology, referencing, etc.)
4 5
Generic Skills:

Directed study hours

A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.

What resources do I need to undertake this course?

Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.

Prescribed text(s) or course reader

You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.

Required? Author Year Title Edition Publisher
Required Linda Wylie, Helen Bryce 2016 The Midwives' Guide to Key Medical Conditions; Pregnancy and Childbirth 2nd edition n/a Elsevier
Required Sally Pairman,Sally K. Tracy,Hannah G. Dahlen,Lesley Dixon, PHD, RM 2023 Midwifery Preparation for Practice 5th Elsevier
Required Roslyn Donnellan - Fernandez,Maryam Bazargan,Clare Davison,Michelle Gray,Kirsten Small 2024 Pharmacology in Midwifery 1st Elsevier

Specific requirements

N/A

How are risks managed in this course?

Health and safety risks for this course have been assessed as low. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the health and safety risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.

What administrative information is relevant to this course?

Assessment: Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.

Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.

In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.

Assessment: Additional Requirements

Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment

Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale

Assessment: Submission penalties

Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.

The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty

Links to relevant University policy and procedures

For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:

  • Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
  • Review of Assessment and Final Grades
  • Supplementary Assessment
  • Central Examinations
  • Deferred Examinations
  • Student Conduct
  • Students with a Disability

For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching

Student Charter

UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.

General Enquiries

For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.  

For other enquiries or to access support, please contact Student Central: