Bachelor of Midwifery 2020 Practice Portfolio Guideline - learnonline

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Bachelor of Midwifery 2020 Practice Portfolio Guideline - learnonline
University of South Australia - Bachelor of Midwifery 2017

     Bachelor of Midwifery
2020 Practice Portfolio Guideline
University of South Australia - Bachelor of Midwifery 2020

Background
The Bachelor of Midwifery at the University of South Australia is accredited by the Australian Nursing
and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC). To be eligible for APHRA registration, students must fulfil
the minimum practice experiences as outlined in this guideline. Students are required to document their
clinical experiences in an electronic portfolio across the duration of their program to provide evidence
of completion of the minimum clinical requirements. It is important to have read through these
guidelines and have a clear understanding of the minimum, midwifery practice experience
requirements.

This document relates to the requirements expected for a student’s portfolio of clinical work. This
document is accompanied by the Continuity of Care Guidelines and together these documents provide
all of the information required about your clinical documentation requirements that will ensure you will
meet the ANMAC registration requirements.

Further information will be provided to you about using the PebblePad platform via the clinical
experience forums and the clinical experiences Learnonline site.

Staff will be able to access your portfolios at all times, so they are expected to be maintained
contemporaneously.

Aims of the Portfolio
To provide the student with a cumulative record that conveys their individual learning plan, clinical
experiences, reflections and achievements. This portfolio demonstrates the student’s:
       •   Engagement in the clinical environment, through the documentation of episodes of care that
           includes regular written reflection.
       •   Formal assessment and achievement of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA)
           Midwife Standards for Practice (2018).

    Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council Midwife Accreditation Standards, Standard 8
    (ANMAC 2014):
    ANMAC standard 8 requires:
             The inclusion of periods of midwifery practice experience in the program, so students can
             complete the following minimum1, supervised midwifery practice experience requirements.2

    UniSA Clinical Experience Requirements
    Re-entry students
    Re-entry students are expected to follow the grid on page 4 in relation to clinical experience numbers,
    all other aspects about the experiences listed in this guide apply.

1
  These are minimum requirements. Where possible, it is recommended that students be provided with
opportunities to achieve more than this level of experience to help develop their confidence and competence.
2
  Minimum practice requirements may be counted more than once. Example: as per individual circumstances,
continuity of care experiences may also be counted toward episodes of antenatal and postnatal care, acting as
primary accoucheur, providing labour care, caring for women with complex needs or neonatal examination.
ANMAC 2014 specifies the engagement of 10 COCE. UniSA requires students to complete a minimum of 15 COCE
across the program with the exception of Re-entry students who complete 2 COCE.
    2020 Midwifery Student Portfolio Guidelines                                                                     1
University of South Australia - Bachelor of Midwifery 2020

    Continuity of care experiences
       a. Experience in woman centred care as part of continuity of care experiences. The student is
          supported to:
          • Establish, maintain and conclude a professional relationship while experiencing continuity
             with individual women through pregnancy, labour and birth, and the postnatal period,
             regardless of model of care.
          • Provide midwifery care within a professional practice setting and under the supervision of a
             midwife - in collaborative practice arrangements, supervision by other relevant registered
             practitioners (for example, medical officer qualified in obstetrics, child health nurse or
             physiotherapist) may be appropriate.
          • Engage in a minimum of 153 women – engagement involves attending four antenatal visits,
             two postnatal visits and for most women, the labour and birth.
          • Maintain a record of each engagement incorporating regular reflection and review by the
             education or health service provider.
Antenatal care
       b. Attendance at 100 antenatal episodes of care.3 This may include women who the student is
          following as part of their continuity of care experiences.

    Labour and birth care
       c. Under the supervision of a midwife, act as the primary accoucheur for 30 women who
          experience a spontaneous vaginal birth4, which may include women the student has engaged
          with as part of their continuity of care experiences. This also involves:
          • providing direct and active care in the first stage of labour, where possible;
          • managing the third stage of labour, including the student providing care as appropriate if a
              manual removal of the placenta is required;
          • facilitating initial mother and baby interaction, including promotion of skin-to-skin contact
              and breastfeeding in accordance with the woman’s wishes or situation;
          • assessment and monitoring of the mother’s and baby’s adaptation for the first hour post
              birth including, where appropriate, consultation, referral and clinical handover.
       d. Provide direct and active care to an additional 10 women throughout the first stage of labour
          and, where possible, during birth—regardless of mode.

    Complex care
       e. Experience in caring for 40 women with complex needs across pregnancy, labour, birth or the
          postnatal period.5 This may include women the student has engaged with as part of their
          continuity of care experiences. Please refer to the National Midwifery Guidelines for
          Consultation and Referral, 3rd edition for information about what constitutes a complex need.
          https://issuu.com/austcollegemidwives/docs/consultation_and_referral_guideline
          UniSA students are to complete 15 antenatal, 15 intrapartum, 10 postnatal complex episodes
          of care.

3
  Episodes of care may include multiple episodes of care for the same woman where her care needs have altered.
Example: as a result of a natural progression through the antenatal or postnatal periods or due to evolving complex
needs.
4
  Spontaneous vaginal birth—when a woman gives birth vaginally, unassisted by forceps or vacuum
extractor. The labour may or may not be spontaneous.
5
  These 40 women may also include women with complex needs who received direct and active care from the
student during midwifery practice experiences (a), (b), (c), (d) or (f).
    2020 Midwifery Student Portfolio Guidelines                                                                        2
University of South Australia - Bachelor of Midwifery 2020

    Postnatal care
       f.   Attendance at 100 postnatal episodes of care with women and, where possible, their babies.
            This may include women the student has engaged with as part of their continuity of care
            experiences.
       g. Experiences in supporting women to feed their babies and in promoting breastfeeding in
          accordance with best-practice principles advocated by the Baby Friendly Health Initiative.6
       h. Experiences in women’s health and sexual health.
       i.   Experiences in assessing the mother and baby at four to six weeks postpartum in the practice
            setting where possible; otherwise by use of simulation.

    Neonatal care
       j.   Experience in undertaking 20 full examinations of a newborn infant.7
       k. Experiences in care of the neonate with special care needs.
          UniSA Students will be required to document 10 episodes of care.

UniSA Continuity of Care Experiences (COCE) requirements
Continuity of Care Experiences (COCE) means the ongoing midwifery relationship between the student
and the woman from initial contact in early pregnancy through to the weeks immediately after the
woman has given birth. The relationship will ensure continuity of care across the interface between
community and hospital settings. The intention of the COCE is to enable students to experience
continuity with individual women through pregnancy, labour and birth and the postnatal period,
regardless of the availability of midwifery continuity of care models. All COCE women must be registered
with the Clinical Placement Unit within one week of the first meeting for the experience to count
towards the required number of COCE. Students must attend the mandatory orientations for each of
the venues that they are likely to attend as part of their COCE.
The COCE is considered a part of the clinical practice component of the student’s learning. It is expected
that:
       •    UniSA students will engage in 15 COCE experiences, 5 per year (pro-rata);
       •     Re-entry students will complete two (2) COCE experiences.
       •    There is regular and ongoing evaluation of each student’s COCE;
       •    Curriculum documents identify effective and ethical recruitment processes that enable women
            to participate freely in the COCE;
       •    Students will attend a minimum of four (4) antenatal and two (2) postnatal episodes of care per
            woman;
       •    Students will only engage in a COCE prior to the woman entering her 32nd week of pregnancy;
       •    A COCE will usually involve students engaging with women for an average of 27 hours per
            woman across the continuum of care. This is equivalent to 400 hours across the program;

Students should refer to the Continuity of Care Guidelines for full information and direction about the
COCE.

6
  The Baby Friendly Health Initiative is underpinned by the ‘Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding’ and is supported
by the World Health Organisation as an evidence-based initiative to improve the successful establishment of
breastfeeding.
7
  This refers to a full examination of the newborn infant that may be initial or ongoing, undertaken post-birth or
during postnatal episodes of care including as part of continuity of care experiences.
    2020 Midwifery Student Portfolio Guidelines                                                                        3
University of South Australia - Bachelor of Midwifery 2020

Clinical experiences
Students are required to meet the following clinical experience requirements in order to successfully
complete the program. Students who are experiencing difficulty meeting the requirements must contact
their ELA course coordinator in the first instance and may require referral to the Clinical Program
Coordinator and/or COC Coordinator and/or Program Director.

                                             Program      ELA 1          ELA 2           ELA 3           ELA 4       ELA 5
                                           requirement
   AN Care       Antenatal episode of             100      15             35              60              80          100
                        care
                 Abdominal palpation              10        3              5              10              10             10

                  Complex antenatal               15        0              4              8               12             15
                        care
 Intrapartum         Labour and                   30        0             4-6            10-15           15-20           30
     Care        spontaneous vaginal
                        birth
                 Active care 1st stage            10        0              4              6               8              10

                 Vaginal examination              10        0             2-4             6               8              10

                Complex intrapartum               15        0              4              8               12             15
                       care
   PN Care       Postnatal episode of             100      15             35              60              80          100
                        care
                Complex postpartum                10        0              2              4               8              10
                       care
   NN Care      Physical examination              20        4              8              10              15             20
                  of the newborn
                Complex neonatal care             10        0              0              5-8            8-10            10

   Continuity of Care     Commenced               15       3-5            5-8            8-10            10-13           15
     Experiences
                           Completed                       0-2            2-5             5-8             12             15

                          Registered Nurses will undertake the following requirements:
                                                          Program
                                                                                 ELA 1           ELA 3              ELA 5
                                                         requirement
   AN Care              Antenatal episode of care           100                  15              35                100

                          Abdominal palpation               10                   3                5                 10

                         Complex antenatal care             15                   0                5                 15

  Intrapartum    Labour and spontaneous vaginal birth       30                   0               5-10               30
      Care

                          Active care 1st stage             10                   0                5                 10

                          Vaginal examination               10                   0                5                 10

                        Complex intrapartum care            15                   0                5                 15

   PN Care              Postnatal episode of care          100                   15              35                100

2020 Midwifery Student Portfolio Guidelines                                                                                   4
University of South Australia - Bachelor of Midwifery 2020

                      Complex postpartum care                  10                    0               5                 10

   NN Care       Physical examination of the newborn           20                    4               10                20

                        Complex neonatal care                  10                    0              5-8                10

   Continuity of Care Experiences      Commenced                                   4-5              5-7                15
                                                               15
                                        Completed                                    2              4-5                15

  *Sponsored Pathway students will complete ELA 4 instead of ELA 5

                         Re-entry students will undertake the following requirements:
                                                                                                Program Requirements

                  Antenatal                              Antenatal episode of care                          25

                                                           Abdominal palpation                               5

                                                          Complex antenatal care                             4
                                                Labour and spontaneous vaginal birth
                Intrapartum Care                                                                             7

                                                        Active care 1st stage labour                         2

                                                           Vaginal examination                               2

                                                         Complex intrapartum care                            4

                Postpartum Care                          Postnatal episode of care                          25

                                                         Complex postpartum care                             4
                                                  Physical examination of the newborn
                Neonatal Care                                                                                5

                                                          Complex neonatal care                              2

                       Continuity of Care Experience                                                         2

                    Learning tools                                                          3, 10, 13, 14, 18 & 19

Compiling the Portfolio
For each ELA the student will be required to complete selected portfolio records through PebblePad (as
outlined in the rubric for each ELA). Students are responsible for maintaining their portfolio.

Clinical Facilitators are required to access the portfolio so students must keep contemporaneous records
at all times. This is also a requirement to enable clinicians to sign/ verify episodes of care undertaken at
point of care. Signatures should not be obtained retrospectively.

Confidentiality
Students are required to understand and maintain the confidentially and privacy of information for any
woman/family they provide care for in any clinical placement or COCE. All students can access a copy of
the International Confederation of Midwives Code of Ethics and Code of conduct for midwives and will
be expected to abide by these codes. These are also available at the NMBA website
http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Professional-standards.aspx
Students are required to de-identify all documentation regarding the women and babies in their
portfolio by using pseudonyms or labelling per experience number.

Planning and Organising the Portfolio
To demonstrate achievement of the minimum requirements, the university requires the student to
record each episode of care as an electronic record.
 2020 Midwifery Student Portfolio Guidelines                                                 5
University of South Australia - Bachelor of Midwifery 2020

The portfolio provides invaluable information for the midwives/clinicians the student works with during
clinical placement. It will enable them to ascertain the students learning, progress and development
across clinical practice experiences, and to be receptive to and supportive of the student’s strengths and
limitations and identified objectives and strategies for each placement.
For the portfolio to achieve its purpose, the student can share their portfolio objectives with the
midwives/clinicians they are working with to enable the midwife/clinician to ascertain the student’s
progress and provide necessary support and experiences accordingly.
Where numbers of experiences are specified, they are set as minimum requirements.
Students will continue to engage in practice experiences and continue to achieve these experiences
beyond the minimum required until they have shown themselves to be appropriately capable in
knowledge, skills and attitudes as confirmed by their Course Coordinator.
In addition, the portfolio is considered a part of the professional development requirement and
determines the student’s/midwife’s ongoing suitability for practice. All midwives are required to
maintain a portfolio to show ongoing competence and professional development. The student’s efforts
in maintaining the portfolio will be far-reaching and not just consequential for the purpose of the
Bachelor of Midwifery program.

Experiential Learning Activities (ELAs)
There are five ELA’s throughout the program as outlined in Table 1:

Table 1: ELA Clinical Experiences
                    ELA                                          Clinical Experiences

 Experiential Learning Activity: Midwifery    4 weeks x 5 days per week of mixed experience
 Foundation Practicum 1                       (antenatal/postnatal/women’s health)

 Experiential Learning Activity: Midwifery    4 weeks x 5 days per week of mixed experience
 Practice Development Practicum 2             (antenatal/ postnatal/ intrapartum)

 Experiential Learning Activity: Midwifery    4 weeks x 5 days per week of mixed experience
 Practice Development Practicum 3             (neonatal/ intrapartum)

 Experiential Learning Activity: Midwifery    8 weeks x 5 days per week of mixed experience
 Transition Practicum 4                       (antenatal/ postnatal/ neonatal/ intrapartum)

 Experiential Learning Activity: Midwifery    8 weeks x 5 days per week of mixed experience
 Transition Practicum 5                       (antenatal/ postnatal/ women’s health/ intrapartum)

Students are required to collect daily feedback from the midwives/clinicians who supervise them while
on clinical placement. There is an expectation that this will be completed by the midwife who is
supervising the student throughout the majority of the shift. The template is available through the ELA
workbook.

Portfolio review
Portfolios will be marked within one week of completing placement.
Students may opt to attend an interview with the Course Coordinator or assigned marker to review their
portfolio and receive feedback to assist their learning.

2020 Midwifery Student Portfolio Guidelines                                                                       6
University of South Australia - Bachelor of Midwifery 2020

Portfolio marking is a formal assessment, if students have not met the portfolio requirements (including
reflections) within this timeframe they risk receiving a fail grade for the course.
If a student’s portfolio does not meet the required standard they will be provided a final date for
completion of the portfolio and an appointment scheduled with the Course Coordinator to review and
ascertain the final grade. Any student who does not amend their portfolio in the agreed time frame will
receive a fail grade.
Please note when recording clinical hours worked in your ELA workbooks record only the time worked
– do not include breaks.

MIDAC/UniSA Clinical Assessment Tool
The MIDAC clinical assessment tool (CAT) used throughout the program was originally developed in
Victoria and used as a validated tool to assess midwifery students’ clinical skills as well as their practice
competency. The CAT for midwifery students includes both skills based (learning tools) and the Nursing
and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) standards based clinical assessments.
Learning Tools
The course objectives for each ELA are detailed in the corresponding Course Outline, in addition to the
associated assessment requirements. The tools for each ELA will be in the ELA workbook. If students
wish to complete additional tools outside of those specified for the ELA they are located in the CAT tools
workbook. Note these will need to be tagged to the ELA workbook. While on clinical placement or
through COCE, the student with be expected to complete CATs for Midwifery Students as outlined in
Table 2.

Table 2: Required clinical assessment tools by ELA*
   Year                               Course                         Clinical assessment tools
     1                 ELA: Foundation Practicum 1                          1, 17, 3, 20 & 21

                ELA: Midwifery Practice Development 2                         2, 5, 6, 9, 25,
     2
                ELA: Midwifery Practice Development 3                     8, 15, 4, 22, 23 & 26

                 ELA: Midwifery Transition Practicum 4                   7, 11, 12, 16, 21 & 24
     3
                 ELA: Midwifery Transition Practicum 5                   3, 10, 13, 14, 18 & 19
*OSCA assessment in bold, red and underlined

Across the program, you will be required to show an increased quality of performance as described by
the Bondy Scale (page 9). During the first year of the program, you will be required to complete four
learning tools, at least once, at an ‘assisted’ level. Across the second year of the program, you will be
required to complete 10 learning tools, at least once, at a ‘proficient’ level. In the final year of the
program, you will be expected to complete 12 learning tools and achieve ‘proficient’ or ‘independent’
level. This will be clearly specified in the ELA portfolio course outline. Learning tools can be assessed
during the ELA (practice experience practicums) and/or through COCE.

Table 3:
       Rating                 ELA 1            ELA 2        ELA 3                ELA 4                 ELA 5

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University of South Australia - Bachelor of Midwifery 2020

 Independent (I)
                                                                                                 3, 10, 13, 14, 18
                                                                                                       & 19
                                                        4, 8, 15, 22, 23 7, 11, 12, 16, 21
  Proficient (P)                      2, 5, 6, 9, 25,
                                                              & 26             & 24

  Assisted (A)     1, 3, 17 20 & 21

 Supported (S)

 Dependent (D)

Note: In addition to the ELAs, 400 clinical hours over the program have been allocated to undertake the
Continuity of Care Experience (COCE). Students are encouraged to complete the associated CATs while
undertaking COCE.

The CATs need to be assessed by a midwife or Clinical Facilitator while on placement. It is expected that
you will attain a minimum rating for each learning tool assessment in order to pass
(see Table 4 Bondy scale). Any student who does not achieve the minimum rating for the specific skill
will require reassessment. This will be undertaken in consultation with the student, Clinical Facilitator
and academic staff responsible for the course.

Table 4: Bondy scale
                                                                                                  Assistance
   Scale label       Professional standards             Quality of performance
                                                                                                   required

                       Safe and accurate                Proficient, coordinated,
  Independent         Effective each time                confident, occasional                    Without
       (I)         Appropriate behaviour and         expenditure of excess energy              supporting cues
                     demeanour each time            within an expedient time frame

                       Safe and accurate            Efficient, coordinated, confident
                      Effective each time             Some expenditure of excess                 Occasional
  Proficient (P)
                   Appropriate behaviour and        energy within a reasonable time            supportive cues
                     demeanour each time                          frame

                                                                                              Frequent verbal
                       Safe and accurate              Skilful in parts of behaviour
                                                                                                and occasional
                   Effective most of the time           Inefficiency and lacking
                                                                                              physical directive
  Assisted (A)       Appropriate behaviour                     coordination
                                                                                               cues in addition
                    and demeanour most of           Expends excess energy within a
                                                                                                 to supportive
                            the time                       delayed time frame
                                                                                                      cues

2020 Midwifery Student Portfolio Guidelines                                                                         8
University of South Australia - Bachelor of Midwifery 2020

                       Safe but not alone
                        Performs at risk                Unskilled, inefficient,            Continuous verbal
                      Accurate not always            considerable expenditure of                  and
 Supported (S)       Effective occasionally         excess energy Prolonged time                frequent
                   Appropriate behaviour and                    period                       physical cues
                    demeanour occasionally

                                                       Unable to demonstrate
                             Unsafe
   Dependent                                         procedure/behaviour Lacks             Continuous verbal
                     Unable to demonstrate
      (D)                                             confidence, coordination,            and physical cues
                           behaviour
                                                             efficiency

Midwife Standards Assessment
You will be required to engage in the Standards Assessment Component of the MIDAC/UniSA CAT for
each area of experience in the ELA.
For example, if the student has 2 weeks postnatal, they will need a standards assessment completed.
Then if the next two weeks of placement are intrapartum, the student will need another standards
assessment completed. Both standard assessments will be submitted with the portfolio.
The Clinical Facilitator assigned to the student for the associated ELA will be responsible for undertaking
this assessment. An interim formative assessment may be undertaken if deficits are identified within the
first week. Table 5 outlines the minimum overall pass grade for each of the ELAs.
Table 5
                         ELA 1             ELA 2 & 3              ELA 4                       ELA 5

Independent (I)        Pass grade           Pass grade         Pass grade                 Pass grade

  Proficient (P)       Pass grade           Pass grade         Pass grade                 Pass grade

  Assisted (A)         Pass grade           Fail grade          Fail grade                Fail grade

 Supported (S)          Fail grade          Fail grade          Fail grade                Fail grade

 Dependent (D)          Fail grade          Fail grade          Fail grade                Fail grade

Students who do not achieve a pass grade for the Standards Assessment will be required to undertake a
Clinical Challenge. Students who have already redeemed a Clinical Challenge in the ELA will not be
offered another challenge and will fail the ELA. Students who are offered a challenge and are successful
in completing it will be able to continue the clinical placement and undertake a final summative
assessment. Students who do not achieve a pass grade for the final summative assessment will not
pass the ELA course. This may impact on their progression through the program. Students may only have
one clinical challenge per ELA.
If at any time a student’s performance is unsafe, they will be removed from placement as outlined in
Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual (2020). Please refer to the 2020 Assessment Policies and
Procedures Manual for further information.

2020 Midwifery Student Portfolio Guidelines                                                                       9
University of South Australia - Bachelor of Midwifery 2020

Please note: The CAT and Standards Assessment must all be completed in full and signed for each
specific ELA. When the assessment is signed by the clinician it locks the document, so no further
editing is permitted. Unsigned documents will not be accepted. If the student has difficulty
completing the tools, they should speak with their Clinical Facilitator and advise their Course
Coordinator or Academic Liaison to determine how the activity can be completed.

Supervision requirements
First year students must be under direct supervision at all times.

Direct supervision is when the supervisor/clinician takes direct and principal responsibility for the
midwifery care provided (e.g. assessment and/or treatment of an individual woman). The supervisor must
be physically present at the workplace, and supervision must include observation of the supervisee when
they are providing care (NMBA 2015).

Indirect supervision is when the supervisor is easily contactable and available to observe and discuss
the midwifery care the supervisee is delivering.

Supervision for intimate physical assessments
All midwifery students, regardless of their level of training, are to be under the direct supervision of a
registered health professional (i.e. midwife or medical practitioner) whenever they are undertaking
intimate physical assessments and/or examinations.

Midwifery students are involved in the provision of care to women and this often involves intimate
examinations. Intimate examinations are a routine aspect of midwifery practice involving breast,
abdominal and genital examinations.

These include but are not limited to, episodes of care relating to;
   • abdominal assessment,
   • breastfeeding assistance (including breast expression),
   • sanitary pad checks,
   • vaginal examinations,
   • speculum examinations,
   • rectal examinations,
   • Labour and birth care.

Students must remember that these examinations and situations are not routine for the woman.

Women can feel fearful, anxious and vulnerable during physical examination and some women may
find these procedures particularly intrusive and upsetting (Old 2014). In spite of this, most women still
trust their health professional to examine them when they are at their most vulnerable.

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a common occurrence with an estimated 12-20% of children affected
worldwide (Logiudice 2016). This can have significant implications for women when experiencing
pregnancy and birth. Any physical examination for CSA survivors can act as a trigger and lead to
significant trauma for the woman (Watson 2016). With this is mind, students and health practitioners
must be attentive to the history of the woman (both disclosed and undisclosed) and their different
backgrounds when approaching care provision. Cultural factors may also impact on physical
examinations.

Additional to being under the supervision of a health practitioner, informed consent must be obtained
prior to any physical assessment and/or examination of the woman. A support person (e.g. partner,
family member, significant other) can be present if the woman wishes.
2020 Midwifery Student Portfolio Guidelines                                                         10
University of South Australia - Bachelor of Midwifery 2020

For intimate genital examinations women must be given the opportunity to undress and dress in
private, unless a woman requests assistance (Medical Board of Australia 2018). Health care
professionals should be aware of any verbal or non-verbal signs that the woman has withdrawn consent
(Medical Board of Australia 2018). The woman should be provided with suitable covering during an
examination to maintain her dignity and to reflect the practice standards and code of conduct for
midwives (Medical Board of Australia 2018; Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia 2018).

Explanation of Terms
The International Definition of a Midwife
The midwife is a person who, having been regularly admitted to a midwifery educational programme,
duly recognised in the country in which it is located, has successfully completed the prescribed course
of studies in midwifery and has acquired the requisite qualifications to be registered and/or legally
licensed to practice midwifery. All students enrolled in the program are required to be registered with
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA).

Scope of Practice
The midwife is recognised as a responsible and accountable professional who works in partnership with
women to give the necessary support, care and advice during pregnancy, labour and the postpartum
period, to conduct births on the midwife’s own responsibility and to provide care for the newborn and
the infant. This care includes preventative measures, the promotion of normal birth, the detection of
complications in mother and child, the referral for medical or other appropriate assistance and the
carrying out of other emergency measures.

The midwife has an important task in health counselling and education, not only for the woman, but
also within the family and community. This work should involve antenatal education and preparation
for parenthood and may extend to women’s health, sexual or reproductive health and childcare (ICM
Council 2011).

2020 Midwifery Student Portfolio Guidelines                                                                     11
University of South Australia - Bachelor of Midwifery 2020

References

 Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC), 2014 Midwives Accreditation
 Standards. ANMAC, ACT, viewed 29th November 2018,
 https://www.anmac.org.au/

 Bondy, K, N. 1983 Criterion-referenced definitions for rating scales in clinical evaluation. Journal of
 Nursing Education. 22(9), pp. 376-382.

 International Confederation of Midwives, 2011, ICM International Definition of the Midwife. ICM
 Council, viewed online December 2018 at https://www.internationalmidwives.org/our-work/policy-
 and-practice/icm-definitions.html

 Logiudice, JA. 2016 A Systematic Literature Review of the Childbearing Cycle as Experienced by
 Survivors of Sexual Abuse. Nursing for Women’s Health. 20(6), pp. 582-94.

 Medical Board of Australia 2018 Guidelines: Sexual Boundaries in the Doctor-patient relationship.
 https://www.medicalboard.gov.au/codes-guidelines-policies/sexual-boundaries-guidelines.aspx

 Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2015, Supervision guidelines for nursing and midwifery,
 NMBA,             viewed           online             December              12th           2018,
 https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/search.aspx?q=supervision

 Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2018, Midwife standards for practice, NMBA, viewed online
 November       29th       2018,      https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/codes-guidelines-
 statements/professional-standards.aspx

 Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2018 Code of Conduct for Midwives, NMBA, viewed online
 November       29th       2018,      https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/codes-guidelines-
 statements/professional-standards.aspx

 Old, S. 2014 Best practice in the use of chaperones. MDU Journal. 30(1).

 Watson V. 2016 Re-Traumatization of Sexual Trauma in Women's Reproductive Health Care. Tennessee
 University of Tennessee Honors Thesis Projects. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_chanhonoproj/1950

 World Health Organisation, 2011 Maternal Health Topics viewed 30 November 2018,
 http://www.who.int/topics/primary_health_care/en/

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