Continuity Midwifery B (7949.2)

Required texts

Jordan, S. (2010). Pharmacology for midwives: The evidence base for safe practice (2^nd Ed) Basingstoke: Palgrave. RG 528.J67.2010

Leap, N. & Hunter, B. (2016). Supportig Women for Labour and Birth; a thoughtful guide. Routledge:UK.

Pairman, S., Tracy, S., Dahlen, D., Dixon, L.  (2019). Midwifery, preparation for practice (4th ed.).  Elsevier: Sydney

There will also be other set and/or suggested readings associated with the weekly topics, provided through e-reserve as required. In addition, you are encouraged to access up to date information from appropriate journals such as:

Birth

Birth issues

Breastfeeding Review

British Journal of Midwifery

Evidenced Based Midwifery

Health Care for Women International

Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health

MIDIRS Midwifery Digest

Midwifery

Midwives Chronicle

New Zealand College of Midwives Journal

The Practicing Midwife

Women and Birth

These and other journals are available through the UC Library and the ACT Health Library

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

Student responsibility in regard to assessment

If there is any doubt about the requirements of a particular assessment or assessment procedure, please see the Unit Convenor who is here to help you. The onus for clarifying assessment issues rests with the student. All assessments must be submitted to pass the unit and students must achieve an overall mark of 50% to pass the unit. All pass/fail assessment items must be passed to pass the unit.  Back up your assignment as you write. You must keep a copy of your assignments.

General guidelines for a written paper:

Presentation: The paper should be word-processed, with 1.5 line spacing on a single side of A4 paper.  Each A4 page should have a 2.5 cm margin on all sides. Pages should be numbered.

Structure: Academic writing style must be maintained throughout the assessments.  There are many texts available about organising and presenting papers in the library and bookshop.

Clarity and Expression: Concepts should be discussed clearly and concisely.  Assessments must demonstrate correct grammatical expression and spelling.  Poor grammar obscures meaning.  It is very useful to ask someone else to proof read your submission to eliminate errors.

Referencing requirements: Students must use the APA method of referencing throughout their assessments. The following useful resource on referencing is available at: https://canberra.libguides.com/c.php?g=599301&p=4148716

Returning Assessments and Feedback to students: Assessments will be returned electronically via the unit's CANVAS site with feedback attached.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

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 in 2013.  Because we understand that students have multi-rolled lives, 3 seminar 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 seminars a 500 word synopsis about their learning on the topic/s of any missed sessions may be required to be submitted.

Required IT skills

The Client Services Division provides campus IT networks for the University, including computers and networked information resources for student use. For students needing help with basic IT skills, training courses are offered by the Client Services Division and some Faculty Resource Centres to help students start using the University online services. For more information please contact the Helpdesk on 6201 5500 or email helpdesk@cts.canberra.edu.au. The Library is also an excellent resource for IT skills related to information searching.

In-unit costs

You do not have to purchase texts for this unit but as busy students who are also involved in midwifery practice, you may find it most useful to do so. Texts recommended for other units in the Bachelor of Midwifery course are also suitable for this unit.  

Work placement, internships or practicums

Midwifery Practice Requirements

Students are required to continue to undertake midwifery practice in a continuity of care experiences model this semester, and undertake 128 hours of rostered practice in the ‘Capstone Block'.  Over the course of the year, students need to work in continuity with 10 women, so while the number of women in Semester 2 is difficult to mandate, students will need to have completed work with 10 women to complete this Unit.  THe following requiremnets are flexible due to COVID-19 implications on student placement.  Based on being ‘paired up' with named childbearing women, students for each woman will aim to:

• conduct under supervision her first antenatal visit (often called the Booking Visit or Preadmission visit). 
• conduct at least 4 other antenatal visits
• be on call for and attend the woman's labour
• conduct under supervision at least 3 postnatal visits (1 of which can be time spend working with the woman immediately after the ‘4^th stage' of labour)

There are variations of course between women and between experiences, so each ‘continuity experience' will be slightly different.  For the purposes of this semester's requirements, it is very important that the student, under direct supervision, is the lead carer for each woman, while ever that is appropriate for the woman.

We understand that circumstances beyond the student's control sometimes change both women's and students' plans, therefore the minimum for each student having worked with 10 women in ‘completed' continuity experiences this year is a total of 10 1^st visits, 40 other antenatal visits, attendance at a minimum of  6 of those women's births and 30 postnatal visits.  (This includes continuity work undertaken in the previous unit Continuity Midwifery A because it is difficult to divide women's experiences of childbearing in to two neat semesters). Antenatla requirements are subject tochange at the UC Midwifery Practice Co-ordinator's discretion re COVID-19 and ANMACs recommendations.  

Please note: A continuity relationship must start with a 1^st visit (booking in) unless the student has worked with a particular woman in a previous pregnancy.  In this case, the student may negotiate to waive the 1^st visit requirement with the Midwifery Practice Coordinator or the Unit Convenor.  This requierment may be lifted if conditions due to COVID-19 make it difficult to achieve. 

Students will also be required to undertake a Capstone Block of 128 hours of practice beginning in week 13 (26 October). Rostering into areas will be dependent on student learning and practice requirements, and hospital/unit/ward availability.  The moving of 128 hours of rostered practice from 2^nd year to 3^rd year has been in response to evaluations from both our newly graduated midwives and feedback from the Midwifery Advisory Committee. The ‘capstone' block will allow students time to attain outstanding minimum requirements, achieve their 3 final competency assessments if not already done and hone their team-work and time-management skills while working with the demands of rostered work in busy maternity units. There is a lowest allowable number of hours in each practice area:

Please note: Progress toward achieving the ‘midwifery minimum practice requirements'  comes from working in continuity of care with women and rostered practice. All ‘midwifery minimum practice requirements' as outlined in ANMAC's accreditation standards (file:///C:/Users/s434289/Downloads/Midwives--Accreditation-Standards%20(1).PDF) must be completed and documented in order to compete Continuity Midwifery B, and graduate from the course.

Additional information

Midwifery is a complex course because of both the theory and practice requirements, so please do not remain quiet if you are worried.  The Unit Convenor, Rebekah Bowman, and the Course Convenor, Sally Muggleton, are 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 quite challenged.  Most things can be sorted out quickly and easily if we know.  We will also help with more complex issues.

Announcements: Announcements made at seminars are deemed to be made to the whole group. Important announcements will be repeated on the unit website. Please check the ‘Continuity Midwifery B' website at: http://learnonline.canberra.edu.au/ and your e-mail for messages at least weekly.

The Midwifery Practice Room (10A02) and the Midwifery Simulation room next door is available for students for private study, group work and practising skills / tasks when not in use for timetables classes.  Please be mindful of COVID-19 physical distancing requriements, with limits listed on each door.

• Semester 2, 2020, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (196563)
• Semester 2, 2019, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (188618)
• Semester 2, 2018, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (180389)