Graduate Diploma of Midwifery - Alice Springs Hospital Maternity Unit

Aim of the employed model

Through clinical rotation and clinical educator support the employed model supports the students to meet the clinical requirements of the Graduate Diploma of Midwifery while employed as a registered nurse/student midwife working in the Alice Springs Hospital (ASH) Maternity Unit.

Eligibility to apply

If you hold current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) as a registered nurse with at least one year post graduate experience, recent experience in the acute care area and are enrolled or are eligible to enrol at Charles Darwin University (CDU) in the Graduate Diploma of Midwifery course , you meet the minimum requirements to apply.

NT Health will only support applicants who meet the eligibility requirements for a commonwealth supported place (CSP). Commonwealth Supported places are available in this course to students who meet one of the following residency requirements:

1. be an Australian citizen, who will complete some of your course of study while resident in Australia; or
2. a New Zealand citizen; or an Australian permanent visa holder; or an eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder; who studies the entire course while living in Australia.

Enrolment at another university

The employed program works specifically in partnership with CDU.  You cannot enrol at another university and still be eligible for the employed model.

Course duration

The Graduate Diploma of Midwifery is a pathway for Registered Nurses to complete their midwifery training. It is an 18 month course comprising of 80 credit points. There are 3 simulation training blocks over the course of study specifically for registered nurses to immerse deeply into midwifery from the first week. Training blocks are held in Darwin and travel and accommodation costs are not covered by NT Health.

How to apply

The application process is in two parts:

1. Apply for the CDU Graduate Diploma of Midwifery (TMIDW1) Semester one 2025 via South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC) .  Application fees apply.
2. Apply to the Northern Territory Government for the Employed Model Position.

Program dates

Employment at Alice Springs Hospital’s Maternity Unit commences 3 March 2025 with a four day Clinical Simulation Block 10th March 2025.

Study load

Study load is full time over the course duration. There is no flexibility with study options in the Employed Model Program. There is no part time study option available within the Employed Model Program and there is no mid-year entry/exit point. The theoretical content of the course at CDU is entirely online.  There is a simulation block each semester for one week.

Employment conditions

You will be offered a contract for two years at 0.84 full-time employment (FTE) which is 32 hours a week. If you are a permanent NT Health employee you will transfer to the Maternity Unit for that period of time.

You will be employed as a registered nurse/midwifery student which is at Nurse 2 level. This will be with your relevant yearly increment and previous experience as a Registered Nurse.

If you are in a promotional position i.e. Nurse 3 and above you will need to do a reduction by consent to N2 at your yearly increment for the period of the course/contract. You will receive annual recreation leave, personal leave and penalty payments in line with the current Enterprise Bargaining Agreement.

Fee support

You will be reimbursed 100% of your fees at the end of each semester following submission of documents showing successful completion of units. This will be a combination of Professional development Allowance and financial reimbursement by NT Health.

Shift work

To maximise clinical experience and to even out the student allocation it is essential that you have the capacity to work all shifts including weekends and night shifts. You will also be required to be available for a small amount of unpaid ‘on call’ to meet the requirements of the course (these times are not expected to be frequent). There is no capacity to offer fixed roster requests, it affects the clinical experience of other students.

Clinical experience

This is offered through pre-mapped rotation in the clinical areas which includes antenatal/postnatal ward, delivery suite, antenatal/nidwives clinic, Domiciliary and Neonatal Care Unit. You will be allocated supernumerary time in each area to enable a smooth transition into being included in the staffing numbers.

Contact

For enquires relating to the Bachelor of Midwifery at Alice Springs Hospital Maternity Unit contact either Jane Napier or Stephanie Wellham on 08 8958 2531.