Graduate Diploma of Midwifery

The Graduate Diploma of Midwifery is designed as an educational pathway for Registered Nurses to become registered as a midwife. The program provides you with an opportunity to further your studies and qualifications in the field gaining knowledge and skills in the areas of pre-pregnancy, antenatal care, childbirth, parenting, postnatal and specialised care needs of young infants.

Our midwifery programs are unique in their curriculum design and include innovative teaching strategies developed to international, national and state standards. Work-integrated learning in the form of clinical hours is incorporated into the program to provide students with the opportunity to put theory learned into practice. The aim of the programs is to produce skilled, caring, knowledgeable and effective midwives who are competent and capable of working in any setting. 

CQUniversity offers one of the most flexible programs available in this field, with study by distance education available.

What am I studying?

Midwifery involves the care and support for women throughout pregnancy, labour and childbirth and includes postnatal care for women and their babies. Midwives typically work as part of a multi-disciplinary team with other health professionals. They provide care for women and their babies by providing physical and technical midwifery support, observing, monitoring, assessing and reporting on care and treatments, preparing women for birth, giving advice on health matters for both the mother and the baby as well as providing information to women and their families about treatment and care. Furthermore, midwives may also be involved with detecting complications and implementing emergency measures during childbirth.

Why Study at CQUniversity

CQUniversity’s health and medical sciences programs have been developed to meet the ever increasing needs of our communities both here in Australia and for the wider global audience.                  

CQUniversity programs are constantly being reviewed and updated in consultation with industry and other stakeholders to ensure that they are relevant and up to date. In fact, our suite of new offerings has been built as a direct response to industry needs by people with specialised industry experience. 

Another key feature in the large majority of CQUniversity’s health and medical science programs is the integration of workplace-integrated learning, or learning on the job. Students are required to complete course undertakings in real-life workplaces, allowing them to put learning directly into practice.  This hands-on project-based learning is a key reason as to why CQUniversity graduates are highly sought after by employers.  

Quality on-campus facilities ensure learning is delivered in context, taught in a similar setting to that of a real-world situation. New facilities including state-of-the-art technology for fitness and body function testing offer exercise and sport sciences students sophisticated training. Nursing students have access to fully equipped labs that replicate a real-life hospital ward, while medical imaging and medical sonography are taught from new purpose built multi-million dollar labs. The new Allied Health Clinic at CQUniversity Rockhampton will also provide clinical learning experiences to allied health students.

CQUniversity’s health and medical sciences academic staff are at the forefront of their respective fields, often still contributing to and working within industry.  Lecturers have a strong teaching and learning ethos and are committed to delivering quality learning experiences. CQUniversity’s Dr Kerry Reid-Searl has pioneered a world-first teaching technique soon to be commercially released called “Mask-Ed”, which involves latex disguises worn by lecturers to help simulate real-life clinical scenarios in nursing-related practical sessions. 

Study one of the many exciting health and medical science programs at CQUniversity and help make a real difference to community health and wellbeing.

Entry Requirements

You must be a registered nurse or registered midwife seeking to update your knowledge and skills, or a midwife seeking to re-register your status as a midwife (subject to specific Australian Health Practitioner Registration Authority (AHPRA) special requirements.

Contact the University for more information. A university qualification is not required for entry into this program.

Career Opportunities

A Graduate Diploma of Midwifery will prepare you for a successful career in a number of roles in the women’s health industry, including those of midwife, midwife educator, independent practitioner, midwife unit manager, midwife researcher, community midwife, midwife breastfeeding consultant and midwife leader and consultant. 

Work Intergrated Learning

A specified amount of clinical midwifery practice is required.

Program Structure

The Graduate Diploma requires completion of six core courses. You should expect to commit approximately 40 hours per week to midwifery studies; 20-24 hours of which will be for clinical practice placement. Clinical practice experiences will be undertaken at a primary clinical site, with other specified midwifery experiences arranged as required.

Course Information

For example courses you could study as part of the Graduate Diploma of Midwifery program please click here.

As CQUniversity is committed to providing quality, up-to-date and relevant education, please note courses are refreshed regularly and may not be an exact indication of course availability for your study. Please call 13CQUni 13 27 86 if you have specific questions regarding course information regarding your specific application.

Residential School and Study Requirements

There are 5-day compulsory residential schools (CQUniversity Mackay or Noosa) conducted prior to the commencement of each of the 3 (three) terms of study.

Professional Recognition

On successful completion of the program, students will be eligible to apply for registration as a midwife in Australia.

Registration

To register your interest in this program, click here.

*Available in 2013, subject to university and ANMAC approval.