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Course Outline

MID704 Midwifery leadership, governance and mentorship

Course Coordinator:Elaine Jefford (ejefford@usc.edu.au) School:School of Health - Midwifery

2025Session 7

Online

 Online You can do this course without coming onto campus.

Please go to usc.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 provides you with the opportunity to further develop communication and decision-making skills relevant to clinical practice. Contemporary models and frameworks for midwifery leadership, governance, education, and the role of the mentor are critically explored and analysed. Concepts, issues and challenges and their impact on midwifery practice within the national and global context of midwifery and relevant regulatory and professional standards and codes as set by organisations will be examined. You will undertake clinical experience in a variety of clinical settings (80 hours) and continuation of continuity of care experiences (CoCE).

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Online
Learning materials – Online asynchronous learning and teaching materials and options for lecturer and peer to peer collaborations, and lecturer and peer zoom drop ins. 5hrs Week 1 8 times
Placement – Clinical placement onsite 80hrs Week 1 Once Only
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Online workshop over two days 14hrs Week 1 Once Only

Course Topics

Education and adult learning principles in a maternity context

Leadership and governance within a national and global context

Communication and decision-making

Mentorship, mentor and mentee roles and relationships

Mature Content

Adult themes

What level is this course?

700 Level (Specialised)

Demonstrating a specialised body of knowledge and set of skills for professional practice or further learning. Advanced application of knowledge and skills in unfamiliar contexts.

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 Critically reflect on the role and scope of a midwife nationally and globally through the lens of leadership, governance, and education. Creative and critical thinker 
1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.7, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 4.1, 5.3, 6.1, 6.4, 7.1, 7.3
2 Analyse mentorship within the maternity setting. Creative and critical thinker
Sustainability-focussed 
1.2, 1.4, 1.7, 3.1, 6.1, 6.4, 7.3
3 Critically analyse and compare contemporary theoretical principles and practices of leadership and/or mentorship within midwifery. Creative and critical thinker 
2.8, 6.1, 6.4, 7.3
4 Critically analyse and apply contemporary educational learning principles and practices in a midwifery context. Engaged 
2.8, 5.3, 6.4, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3
5 Demonstrate a satisfactory level of progression towards the ANMAC Midwifery Professional Experience (MPE) requirements and hours for the course. Ethical
Engaged 
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
6 Apply principles and practices of academic writing referencing and research. Knowledgeable
Ethical 
1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 3.3, 7.3

* Competencies by Professional Body

CODE COMPETENCY
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
1 Standard 1: Promotes health and wellbeing through evidence-based midwifery practice
1.1 The midwife identifies what is important to women as the foundation for using evidence to promote informed decision-making, participation in care, and self-determination
1.2 The midwife accesses, analyses, and uses the best available evidence, that includes research findings, for safe, quality midwifery practice
1.4 The midwife undertakes ongoing processes of reflection to ensure professional judgements acknowledge how personal culture impacts on practice
1.6 The midwife supports the development, implementation and evaluation of evidenced-based health initiatives and programs
1.7 The midwife identifies and promotes the role of midwifery practice and the midwifery profession in influencing better health outcomes for women
2 Standard 2: Engages in professional relationships and respectful partnerships
2.3 The midwife practises ethically, with respect for dignity, privacy, confidentiality, equity and justice
2.4 The midwife practises without the discrimination that may be associated with race, age, disability, sexuality, gender identity, relationship status, power relations and/or social disadvantage
2.5 The midwife practises cultural safety that is holistic, free of bias and exposes racism
2.6 The midwife practises in a way that respects that family and community underpin the health of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples
2.7 The midwife develops, maintains and concludes professional relationships in a way that differentiates the boundaries between professional and personal relationships
2.8 The midwife participates in and/or leads collaborative practice
3 Standard 3: Demonstrates the capability and accountability for midwifery practice
3.1 The midwife understands their scope of practice
3.2 The midwife practises within relevant legal parameters and professional standards, codes and guidelines
3.3 The midwife participates in own continuing professional development to maintain the required knowledge and skill base for safe and effective practice
3.4 The midwife contributes to a culture that supports learning, teaching, knowledge transfer and critical reflection
4 Standard 4: Undertakes comprehensive assessments
4.1 The midwife works in partnership to determine factors that affect, or potentially affect, the health and wellbeing of women, communities and populations
5 Standard 5: Develops a plan for midwifery practice
5.3 The midwife co-ordinates resources effectively and efficiently for planned actions
6 Standard 6: Provides safety and quality in midwifery practice
6.1 The midwife actively contributes to quality improvement and research activities
6.4 The midwife provides and accepts effective and timely direction, allocation, delegation, teaching and supervision
7 Standard 7: Evaluates outcomes to improve midwifery practice
7.1 The midwife evaluates and monitors progress towards planned goals and anticipated outcomes
7.2 The midwife revises plan and actions based on evidence and what is learned from evaluation
7.3 The midwife uses evaluation and reflection to inform future practice and professional development

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

MID703

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

Not applicable

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

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

Early feedback will be provided by the clinical facilitator when completing the Progressive component of the Clinical Assessment Tool. This feedback includes assessment of your competency in all standards. The facilitator will discuss the deliberations with you and you will have the opportunity to provide comment on the tool during both the Progressive and Summative components.

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 Written Piece Individual 50% 
1000
 Week 3 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 2 Artefact - Creative, and Written Piece Individual 50% 
1500
 Week 7 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 3 Placement performance Individual 0% 
80 hours
 Throughout teaching period (refer to Format) SONIA
All - Assessment Task 1:Principles of adult learning
Goal: 
This assessment task gives you an opportunity to critically explore and analyse Adult Learning Principles (ALPs). It will ask you how a midwifery educator applies ALP to midwifery practice.
Product: Written Piece
Format: 
Written assessment further information will be provided on your course Canvas site.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Critical analysis of TWO educational learning principles.
 4
2 
Critically reflect how a midwifery educator applies Adult Learning Principles within the midwife's role and to midwifery practice.
 1 4
3 
Application of the principles and practices of academic writing. Use of relevant scholarly literature and ethical use of intellectual property. There is no evidence of AI sourced information.
 6
4 
Demonstrate appropriate written expression (academic writing, spelling grammar, terminology, etc.).
 6
Generic Skills: 
Information literacy
All - Assessment Task 2:Creative and Written Piece
Goal: 
The journal of Appreciative Inquiry is calling for submissions for their special edition on what makes a good mentorship interaction. Your goal is to respond to this request.
Product: Artefact - Creative, and Written Piece
Format: 
This submission can be in the format of a letter, article or editorial. You can choose ONE of the following. In this submission, using scholarly literature, you are to critically analyse either:
Choice 1 - Video
Choice 2 – Imagery Cards
Draw from the literature, theories and evidence about the role and scope of a midwife nationally and internationally in mentor/ mentee interactions.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Critical analysis and reflection on mentorship in the midwifery discipline.
 2
2 
Analyse mentorship within the maternity setting including contemporary theoretical principles and practices.
 2 3
3 
Application of the principles and practices of academic writing. Use of relevant scholarly literature and ethical use of intellectual property. There is no evidence of AI sourced information.
 6
4 
Demonstrate appropriate written expression (academic writing, spelling grammar, terminology).
 6
Generic Skills: 
Communication
All - Assessment Task 3:Clinical Assessment Tools and Portfolio
Goal: 
The purpose of this assessment is for you to demonstrate completion of allocated placement for this course and satisfactory competency based on the NMBA Midwife Standards for Practice as measured in the Clinical Assessment Tool. Evidence of your MPE is collected progressively throughout the program in a portfolio. Details regarding MPE evidence will be provided by the course coordinator on the course Canvas site.
Product: Placement performance
Format: 
The clinical facilitator will complete the Clinical Assessment Tool including assessment of your competency in all standards and completion of the required hours. The course coordinator provides the final decision and outcome. If you are not meeting satisfactory practice standards at any point of the placement, learning processes will be implemented to support you to attain the necessary behaviours to satisfactorily meet each standard. Unsatisfactory behaviours which put client safety at risk or which do not adhere with the NMBA Midwife Standards for Practice, Code of Professional Conduct and/or Code of Ethics criteria and standards may result in your removal from placement. If you do not meet each standard at a satisfactory standard you will fail this course. Please refer to the Canvas for details.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Practice behaviours as measured against NMBA Midwife Standards for Practice and as detailed in the assessment tool.
 1 2
2 
Evidence of adherence to Code of Professional Conduct and Code of Ethics criteria and standards.
 5 6
3 
Completion of 80 hours of placement. Evidence of having completed 7 continuity of care women (CONNECT) and a further 50 MPE experiences as required by ANMAC.
 5 6
4 
Reflection on completed Continuity of Care experiences.
 5 6
Generic Skills: 
Communication, Collaboration

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

There are no required/recommended resources for this course.

Specific requirements

Your clinical placement may have specific requirements, and information will be provided during your placement orientation. UniSC uniform as outlined on Canvas is to be worn on all placements.

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

SafeUniSC

UniSC is committed to a culture of respect and providing a safe and supportive environment for all members of our community. For immediate assistance on campus contact SafeUniSC by phone: 07 5430 1168 or using the SafeZone app. For general enquires contact the SafeUniSC team by phone 07 5456 3864 or email safe@usc.edu.au.

The SafeUniSC Specialist Service is a Student Wellbeing service that provides free and confidential support to students who may have experienced or observed behaviour that could cause fear, offence or trauma. To contact the service call 07 5430 1226 or email studentwellbeing@usc.edu.au.

Study help

For help with course-specific advice, for example what information to include in your assessment, you should first contact your tutor, then your course coordinator, if needed.

If you require additional assistance, the Learning Advisers are trained professionals who are ready to help you develop a wide range of academic skills. Visit the Learning Advisers web page for more information, or contact Student Central for further assistance: +61 7 5430 2890 or studentcentral@usc.edu.au.

Wellbeing Services

Student Wellbeing provide free and confidential counselling on a wide range of personal, academic, social and psychological matters, to foster positive mental health and wellbeing for your academic success.

To book a confidential appointment go to Student Hub, email studentwellbeing@usc.edu.au or call 07 5430 1226.

AccessAbility Services

Ability Advisers ensure equal access to all aspects of university life. If your studies are affected by a disability, learning disorder mental health issue, injury or illness, or you are a primary carer for someone with a disability or who is considered frail and aged, AccessAbility Services can provide access to appropriate reasonable adjustments and practical advice about the support and facilities available to you throughout the University.

To book a confidential appointment go to Student Hub, email AccessAbility@usc.edu.au or call 07 5430 2890.

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

  • In person:
    • UniSC Sunshine Coast - Student Central, Ground Floor, Building C, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs
    • UniSC Moreton Bay - Service Centre, Ground Floor, Foundation Building, Gympie Road, Petrie
    • UniSC SouthBank - Student Central, Building A4 (SW1), 52 Merivale Street, South Brisbane
    • UniSC Gympie - Student Central, 71 Cartwright Road, Gympie
    • UniSC Fraser Coast - Student Central, Student Central, Building A, 161 Old Maryborough Rd, Hervey Bay
    • UniSC Caboolture - Student Central, Level 1 Building J, Cnr Manley and Tallon Street, Caboolture
  • Tel:+61 7 5430 2890
  • Email:studentcentral@usc.edu.au
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