1. Home
  2. Principles of Midwifery and Woman-Centred Care [MIT1102]

School: Nursing and Midwifery

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Principles of Midwifery and Woman-Centred Care

  • Unit Code

    MIT1102

  • Year

    2025

  • Enrolment Period

    1

  • Version

    1

  • Credit Points

    15

  • Full Year Unit

     N

  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus

  • Unit Coordinator

    Mrs Priscilla WOZNIAK

Description

In this unit students are introduced to the underpinning midwifery philosophies, definitions and frameworks. Collaborative and autonomous aspects of midwifery practice are explored in relation to primary health care principles and the scope of midwifery practice. Students will learn fundamental knowledge around what it is to be a midwife, inclusive of the autonomous and collaborative aspects of midwifery practice.

Prerequisite Rule

Students must pass MIT1101

Only students studying Bachelor of Science (Nursing)/Bachelor of Science (Midwifery) (Y76) can enrol in this unit.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Examine the philosophies, definitions and frameworks that underpin midwifery.
  2. Apply inclusive woman-centred midwifery care.
  3. Appraise the professional, legal and ethical standards of midwifery as applicable to the role of the midwife in primary health care.
  4. Evaluate the organisation of antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care within the context of Australian midwifery models of care and compare with global maternity models of care.

Unit Content

  1. The history, philosophy, definitions, frameworks, current context and role of midwifery and midwives.
  2. The concept of woman-centred and culturally considerate evidence based maternity care.
  3. Professionalism as a midwifery student working in multidisciplinary teams.
  4. Legal and professional boundaries.
  5. Assertive communication skills.
  6. Role of the midwife.
  7. Reflective and ethical practice.
  8. Midwifery as primary healthcare.
  9. Self-care as a midwife.
  10. Birthing on country for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.
  11. Working with women to develop birth preferences.
  12. Informed consent.

Learning Experience

ON-CAMPUS

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

JoondalupMount LawleySouth West (Bunbury)
Semester 213 x 2 hour tutorialNot Offered13 x 2 hour tutorial

For more information see the Semester Timetable

ONLINE

Students will engage in learning experiences via ECU’s LMS as well as additional ECU learning technologies

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
AssignmentMidwifery Philosophy (written in PebblePad) 30%
Creative WorkCreation of a brochure for women on one model of care available in Australia 50%
ReportSummary of the professional, legal and ethical standards pertaining to midwives 20%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Assessment

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. Informal vivas may be conducted as part of an assessment task, where staff require further information to confirm the learning outcomes have been met. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work as well as any generative artificial intelligence tools that may have been used. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

  • Plagiarism: Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people or generative artificial intelligence tools, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).
  • Unauthorised collaboration (collusion): Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).
  • Contract cheating: Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.
  • Cheating in an exam: Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

MIT1102|1|1

School: Nursing and Midwifery

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Principles of Midwifery and Woman-Centred Care

  • Unit Code

    MIT1102

  • Year

    2025

  • Enrolment Period

    2

  • Version

    1

  • Credit Points

    15

  • Full Year Unit

     N

  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
    Online

  • Unit Coordinator

    Mrs Priscilla WOZNIAK

Description

In this unit students are introduced to the underpinning midwifery philosophies, definitions and frameworks. Collaborative and autonomous aspects of midwifery practice are explored in relation to primary health care principles and the scope of midwifery practice. Students will learn fundamental knowledge around what it is to be a midwife, inclusive of the autonomous and collaborative aspects of midwifery practice.

Prerequisite Rule

Students must pass MIT1101

Only students studying Bachelor of Science (Nursing)/Bachelor of Science (Midwifery) (Y76) can enrol in this unit.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Examine the philosophies, definitions and frameworks that underpin midwifery.
  2. Apply inclusive woman-centred midwifery care.
  3. Appraise the professional, legal and ethical standards of midwifery as applicable to the role of the midwife in primary health care.
  4. Evaluate the organisation of antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care within the context of Australian midwifery models of care and compare with global maternity models of care.

Unit Content

  1. The history, philosophy, definitions, frameworks, current context and role of midwifery and midwives.
  2. The concept of woman-centred and culturally considerate evidence based maternity care.
  3. Professionalism as a midwifery student working in multidisciplinary teams.
  4. Legal and professional boundaries.
  5. Assertive communication skills.
  6. Role of the midwife.
  7. Reflective and ethical practice.
  8. Midwifery as primary healthcare.
  9. Self-care as a midwife.
  10. Birthing on country for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.
  11. Working with women to develop birth preferences.
  12. Informed consent.

Learning Experience

ON-CAMPUS

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

JoondalupMount LawleySouth West (Bunbury)
Semester 213 x 2 hour tutorialNot Offered13 x 2 hour tutorial

For more information see the Semester Timetable

ONLINE

Students will engage in learning experiences via ECU’s LMS as well as additional ECU learning technologies

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
AssignmentMidwifery Philosophy (written in PebblePad) 30%
Creative WorkCreation of a brochure for women on one model of care available in Australia 50%
ReportSummary of the professional, legal and ethical standards pertaining to midwives 20%
ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
AssignmentMidwifery Philosophy (written in PebblePad) 30%
Creative WorkCreation of a brochure for women on one model of care available in Australia 50%
ReportSummary of the professional, legal and ethical standards pertaining to midwives 20%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Assessment

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. Informal vivas may be conducted as part of an assessment task, where staff require further information to confirm the learning outcomes have been met. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work as well as any generative artificial intelligence tools that may have been used. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

  • Plagiarism: Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people or generative artificial intelligence tools, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).
  • Unauthorised collaboration (collusion): Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).
  • Contract cheating: Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.
  • Cheating in an exam: Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

MIT1102|1|2