Women in Labour and Beyond (11298.1)

Required texts

Lists of required texts/readings

There are no required texts for this unit. All of the texts you have used so far in your Bachelor of Midwifery studies will be useful. Suggestions below:

Australian College of Midwives. (2021). National midwifery guidelines for consultation and referral (Fourth Ed). Canberra, Australia: Australian College of Midwives.

Bass, J., Fenwick, J., & Sidebotham M. (2017). Development of a Model of Holistic Reflection to Facilitate transformative learning in student midwives. Women and Birth. (30) 3. pages 227-235.

Bryant, B., Knights, K., Rowland, A., Darrock, S.(2018). Pharmacology for Health Professionals (5th Ed). Australia: Elsevier.

Pairman, S., Tracy, S., Dahlen, H., Dixon, L. (2019). Midwifery: Preparation for practice (4th ed). Australia: Elsevier.

Taylor, C., & White, S. (2000). Practising reflexivity in health and welfare. Buckingham: Open University Press.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

All assessments must be submitted to pass the Unit and students must achieve an overall mark of 50% to pass the Unit. Non-submission or a failing grade for assessment items will prevent a student from progressing in the course. 

The first page of each assessment submission should include the following information:

• Student name:
• Student ID:
• Assessment name:
• Word count (if applicable)

Always keep a copy of your assignment.

General guidelines for a written paper:

Presentation: The paper should be word-processed, with 1.5 line spacing.

Structure: Academic writing style must be maintained throughout the paper. The paper must have an introduction, body (which presents the issues and discusses/analyses them), a conclusion, a reference list and an appendix (if necessary) at the end.

Clarity and Expression: Concepts should be analysed and discussed using plain language. The paper must demonstrate correct grammatical expression and spelling. Be sure to proof read your paper to eliminate errors.

Use of resources: you are expected to read widely and use a variety of credible evidence to support your discussion. Your work must be supported by current published literature, no older than 5 years where appropriate, and fully referenced. Resources must not be limited to texts only. It is an expectation that you use database searches to obtain recent journal articles.

Referencing requirements: Students must use the APA 7th edition method of referencing throughout their assessments. The following useful resource on referencing is available at:

http://www.canberra.edu.au/about-uc/faculties/arts-design/attachments2/pdf/n-and-mrc-conference/APA-Referencing-Guide.pdf

Returning assessments: Assessments will be returned electronically.

Feedback to students: Students will receive formal feedback from the convener.

Late submission of assessments

Requests for extensions must be made via e-mail to the unit convenor at least one week prior to the due date. Penalties for late submission of assessed work will be applied. Late submission of assessments without an approved extension will result in a penalty of 5% from the total available, per day it is overdue (including weekends). An assessment submitted more than 7 days late will not be accepted.

All assessment items must be submitted to pass this unit and students must achieve an overall mark of 50% to pass the unit and progress in the course.

Special assessment requirements

If there is any doubt about the requirements of a particular assessment or assessment procedure, please see the Unit Convener who is here to help you. The onus for clarifying assessment issues rests with the student. To pass the Unit, all assessment items must be submitted and students must achieve an overall mark of 50%.

Supplementary assessment

Nil

Academic integrity

Students have a responsibility to uphold University standards on ethical scholarship. Good scholarship involves building on the work of others and use of others' work must be acknowledged with proper attribution made. Cheating, plagiarism, and falsification of data are dishonest practices that contravene academic values. Refer to the University's Student Charter for more information.

To enhance understanding of academic integrity, all students are expected to complete the Academic Integrity Module (AIM) at least once during their course of study. You can access this module within UCLearn (Canvas) through the 'Academic Integrity and Avoiding Plagiarism' link in the Study Help site.

Use of Text-Matching Software

The University of Canberra uses text-matching software to help students and staff reduce plagiarism and improve understanding of academic integrity. The software matches submitted text in student assignments against material from various sources: the internet, published books and journals, and previously submitted student texts.

Learner engagement

For a 9cp unit you are expected to invest 450hrs over the semester, this will include pre-reading for modules, participating in further reading of papers in the library list, as well as undertaking research for assessment items.

Participation requirements

Attendance at classes is compulsory in this course, as per the Bachelor of Midwifery curriculum approved by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC). Because we understand that students have multi-rolled lives, 3 class absences in the period from the beginning of planned classes until the end of the semester, will be accepted. However, these absences are tolerated based on the expectation that students will seek out information on content and processes which they have missed. If students regularly miss timetabled classes, a 500 word synopsis about their learning on the topic/s of any missed sessions may be required. If required, the 500 word synopsis is to be posted to a shared space on Canvas within two weeks of the absence. In this way, students both demonstrate their learning on missed content and still share the learning processes with their co-students.

Required IT skills

Students are expected to use online practice portfolio DAISYM. Please speak to Unit Convener if you need assistance.

In-unit costs

Nil

Work placement, internships or practicums

Students are required to undertake midwifery practice as outlined in their individualised rotation through all areas of maternity (with some women's health work in gynaecology wards and clinics) via a roster of 3 x 8 hour days each week of formal teaching times (or equivalent e.g. continuous 2 days per week across 45 weeks, or block placements of full time work as arranged with the Unit Convener). This rostered work will continue over 45 weeks of the year, until 592 hours of rostered midwifery work has been undertaken. For this unit a minimum of 296 hours need to be achieved for the student to successfully pass this unit.

If a student is unable to attend rostered practice it is a requirement that they will contact the Unit/area and advise of their non-attendance. Also the student must advise the relevant UC Practice Support Midwife at least ½ hour before the shift starts. If the student does not contact the practice setting or Practice Support Midwife three times during the year a learning contract will be developed in conjunction with the student, Unit Convener and/or the Course Convener.

Changes to the published roster can only be made in exceptional circumstances, due to the complexity in shift and area allocation. Refer to this unit's Canvas site for the process to request any roster changes.

Discussion of practice issues on Social Media Networks

Please remember when discussing your experiences in practice you are discussing women's lives. Therefore these experiences must not be discussed on social media networks such as Facebook or Twitter. Doing so breaks the confidentiality agreement by which students are governed when in practice. The appropriate place for discussion related to practice is the class room setting or the Midspace Forum in Canvas. For more information, see AHPRA's web site at: http://www.ahpra.gov.au/Search.aspx?q=social%20media%20networks

Student Registration

As a student enrolled in an approved midwifery program of study you will be registered for the duration of study and associated practice by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. Student registration is a National Law requirement, the role of which is to protect the public. You do not need to apply for registration; the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority will work directly with the University of Canberra to register all students who need to be registered. There are no fees for student registration. Further information can be found at: http://www.ahpra.gov.au/Registration/Student-Registrations.aspx

Additional information

Midwifery is a complex course because of the theory and practice requirements, so please do not remain quiet if you are worried. The Unit Convener, your midwifery mentor, the UC Practice Support Midwives and the Course Convener are all here to help you. We want you to become useful and connected midwives by learning in a supported environment, so please let us know if you feel very challenged. Most things can be sorted out quickly and easily if we know. We will also help with more complex issues.

Announcements: Announcements made in class are deemed to be made to the whole group. Important announcements will be repeated on Canvas. Please check the ‘Women in labour, and beyond' Canvas site and your university email for messages at least weekly.

The Midwifery Practice Room (10A02) and the Midwifery Simulation Space are available for students for private study, group work and practising skills/tasks when it is not in use for timetabled classes.

• Semester 2, 2022, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (208151)
• Semester 2, 2021, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (201585)
• Semester 2, 2020, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (185739)