Postgraduate Midwifery Program – Consolidation of Midwifery Practice
Program
The Postgraduate Midwifery Program is specifically designed for Registered Nurses Nurses who have consolidated their nursing practice in the acute care setting and completed a Graduate Diploma of Midwifery/Post Graduate Degree. We recognise that your needs and objectives in a graduate midwifery program are different and we have designed a program that ensures consolidation of your midwifery practice.
This program is twelve months in duration. You will have the opportunity to participate in TeamCare to gain experience in the provision of care for women during pregnancy, labour and birth and the postnatal period. If you are a registered nurse wishing to study midwifery to register as a midwife, please see the postgraduate midwifery clinical placements page.
Duration
The program is 53 weeks in duration, beginning in February or August 2024.
The split intake allows us to employ more graduate midwives and provide more support to participants in the program.
The Women’s graduate programs in 2024 provide a full-time (1 full time equivalent (FTE)) or part time (0.8 or 0.9 FTE) option. The Women’s appreciates that the decision to undertake a graduate program on a full time or part time basis is individual, however our 2023 graduates are encouraged to consider the full-time graduate program option. Some of the further benefits of completing a graduate program on a full-time basis include:
- Increased contact hours accelerates integration to the world of work, and the development of clinical skill, capability and confidence as nurse and/or midwife
- Enjoy more take home pay to put toward things of personal importance or value
- Accrue the benefit of additional annual leave – full time employees accrue 6 weeks annual leave per annum
- Opt-in to gain an accrued paid day off (ADO)* each month – this provides 13 paid days off per year.Note: *based on an 80 hour per fortnight contract
- Additional take home pay means further growth to your superannuation including optimising the benefits of compounding interest over time
Postgraduate midwives participate in team care and will be allocated to blocks in the following areas
Postgraduate midwives participate in team care and will take part in study blocks allocated in the following areas
- Birth Centre (3-months)
- Antenatal Clinic
- Acute Antenatal Unit
- Postnatal Unit
Following this intensive program, postgraduates will be offered the opportunity to rotate through these other areas of the Women’s to enhance their skills if they wish:
- Special Care Nursery
- Women’s Emergency Care
- Theatres
This will be in addition to working in the TeamCare model in Maternity Services. The Women’s is keen to ensure that the program is tailored to meet the needs of each graduate.
Professional development days are provided throughout the year, occurring more frequently early in the year. These days are tailored to meet the specific needs of your graduate group and cover a broad range of topics that promote creative and reflective midwifery best practice. They are complemented by individual tutorials and a comprehensive inservice program.
The Women's offers an abundance of learning opportunities. We provide a comprehensive range of services available to women, many specialist practitioners and a variety of education programs available to staff.
We understand the importance of regular feedback and provide a structured three-month performance review program. Together, we discuss your progress and identify ongoing learning needs to help you consolidate and develop your midwifery practice.
- The Program Coordinator’s role is to support, counsel and mentor graduate midwives.
- A team of Clinical Support Midwives is willing and able to guide in the clinical setting. The Clinical Support Midwives' role is to orientate, support and guide novice practitioners throughout the year.
- Each placement provides Graduate Midwives a supernumerary time appropriate to that area.
Annual leave will be allocated during the program to recharge your batteries.
The Women's supports the rights of women to make individual decisions related to their health and well-being. This also includes making available pregnancy termination services. In your role as a postgraduate midwife you may care for women undergoing termination of pregnancy and, included in your care, you may be required to administer the first medication in this process. If you have any concerns in this regard you may need to rethink whether the Women's is the right hospital choice for completion of your Postgraduate Midwife program.
The 2024 Graduate Midwife Information Evening is scheduled for 5-7pm, Monday 5th June 2023 via Webinar.
We are currently unable to conduct personal tours at the Women’s due to Department of Health and Human Services Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions.