Bachelor of Midwifery - Katherine Hospital Maternity Unit

The NT Health Employed Model Program supports students to meet the clinical requirements of the CDU’s Bachelor of Midwifery while employed as a registered nurse/student midwife working in the Katherine 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 Bachelor of Midwifery while employed as a registered nurse/student midwife working in the Katherine Hospital (KH) 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 Bachelor of Midwifery course, you meet the minimum requirements to apply.

Enrolment at another university

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

Course duration

Bachelor of Midwifery is an undergraduate three year course comprising 240 credit points. As a registered nurse with a Bachelor of Nursing you receive advanced standing for 80 credit points. The remaining study is divided into 14 study units offered over four semesters, in two academic years. Five of these study units at CDU are attached to one week simulation blocks.  Four of which are Midwifery Practice Units which do not have written assessments. The fifth subject with a simulation block is designed specifically for registered nurses to immerse deeply into midwifery from the first week.

How to apply

The application process is in two parts:

1. Apply for the CDU Bachelor of Midwifery Semester one 2023 via South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC).  Refer to the undergraduate key dates.  Application fees apply.
2. Apply to the Northern Territory Government for the Employed Model Position.

Program dates

Employment at Katherine Hospital’s Maternity Unit commences in March 2023 with a two week Clinical Simulation Block MID112 and MID211 at CDU scheduled for 13th March 2023. There are between six to eight Employed Model Program positions recruited to each year.

Study load

Study load varies from full time in the first semester to 0.75 for the final two semesters.  There is little to 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 other than semester 1 as mentioned above.

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; 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.

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 ‘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 (6A), Delivery Suite, Antenatal/Midwives clinic, Domiciliary Midwifery Service, Midwifery Group Practice and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. You will be allocated preceptors and a designated amount of supernumerary time in each area to enable a smooth transition into being included in the staffing numbers.

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