ATCHAN, Marjorie

BOWMAN, Rebekah

Anecdotally, it’s been identified that the Midwifery curricula varies across Australian universities. There is no published set of standards to inform the determination of theory and practice hours, despite this being an important curriculum component. Furthermore, there appears to be a variancein the facilitation models and support offered to students. Clinical supervision practices potentially impact on the student’s learning environment, which may have a domino effect on their immediate clinical practice and ongoing work with all women, their babies and their families. ContemporaryAustralian literature has also questioned the efficacy of the current model of work integrated learning in Australia.We propose that providing quality supported experiences with appropriate ratios of learners to educators are crucial elements to a successful curriculum. The study aims to create a contemporary national profile of Australian midwifery curricula. The objective is to map course requirements, experiences, facilitation and assessment, plus the support and supervision provided to studentsby individual universities offering midwifery programs. Course coordinators are being invited to complete a specifically designed and piloted ethics-approved electronic audit. This presentation will present de-identified compiled data on the differences in programs currently on offer across Australia. Enabling factors and challenges to aspects of the course as identified by course convenors, such as determining theory and practice hours, will be highlighted The findings from this innovative study may be useful to Australian universities seeking contemporary nationaldata to inform their own research or use to inform their own programs

University of Canberra Research Repository

"Mapping the diversity of Australian Bachelor of Midwifery programs." Inaugural Trans-Tasman Midwifery Education Conference Transforming midwifery practice through education

"Mapping the diversity of Australian Bachelor of Midwifery programs." Inaugural Trans-Tasman Midwifery Education Conference Transforming midwifery practice through education

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University of Canberra Research Repository