The Graduate Diploma of Midwifery is open to Registered Nurses (Division 1 with no notations) with AHPRA wishing to pursue a career in Midwifery. Successful graduates will be eligible to apply for registration as a midwife throughout Australia. Throughout the course, there will be an emphasis on woman-centred care, the art and science of midwifery, health promotion, communication skills, evidence-based practice and models of midwifery care within a primary health care approach.
Practical placements
In order to complete the Graduate Diploma of Midwifery, you are required to undertake professional experience placement. This provides you with invaluable practical experience and the readiness for midwifery practice.
Continuity of care is a core element of the course so a commitment to out-of-hours and between semester clinical work is required. Students must follow 10 across the duration of the degree, seeing these women four times antenatally, being on call for birth, and seeing them twice postnatally. These requirements are in addition to placement. These experiences must be done in your local community due to the many months of a woman's journey.
It is important to be aware that:
- In order to progress in the course, you are required to attend placements.
- All placements are arranged by CDU.
- Placements are subject to availability at healthcare facilities.
- Placements may include morning, evening, night, weekend and public holiday shifts. They may be scheduled shifts or on-call shifts.
- Non-attendance at placement may only occur in extenuating circumstances which, for the purpose of placements, do not include childcare and work commitments.
Compulsory attendance
This course has a 32-hour mandatory simulation block at the beginning of each semester. Students are also required to undertake a professional experience placement each semester. Travel and associated costs are to be covered by students themselves. Wherever possible, students are placed according to their residential address. However this is subject to availability of placements and not guaranteed. Depending on location, students may have to travel (including interstate) for their professional experience placements.
