Inherent requirements – Bachelor of Midwifery/Nursing
Find the abilities, attributes, skills and behaviours needed to meet the learning outcomes of the Bachelor of Midwifery/Bachelor of Nursing.
Inherent requirements
You should carefully consider the following inherent requirement statements for the Bachelor of Midwifery/Bachelor of Nursing as:
- a guide for your learning during the course
- a way to identify challenges you may have in meeting the requirements.
Inherent requirement
Compliance with Australian Law and professional regulations.
Examples include: Child protection and safety legislation (including the ability to pass a Working with Children Check); Criminal History / Police Checks; Occupational health and safety; Anti-discrimination legislation.
Rationale
Knowledge, understanding, and compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements are necessary in order to reduce the risk of harm to self and others in clinical and related settings; compliance with these professional regulations and the Australian Law ensures students are both responsible and accountable for their practice.
Examples
- Respond to the requirements for student registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
- Comply with relevant legislation including child protection and safety, work health and safety, and anti-discrimination legislation. For examples of applicable Australian Federal legislation visit https://www.comlaw.gov.au/.
Inherent requirement
This relates to the student's ability to understand and adhere to standards, codes, guidelines and policies that facilitates safe, competent interactions and relationships for students and the people they engage with.
Examples include:
- Complying with academic and non-academic conduct codes and policies, including academic integrity policies
- Understanding and complying with professional standards, codes of practice, and guidelines.
Rationale
Compliance with standards, codes, guidelines and policies that facilitates safe, competent interactions and relationships for students and the people they engage with in the many environments of practice is required for the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual well-being of all.
Examples
- Comply with academic and non-academic conduct codes and policies and professional standards.
- Identify and enact relevant applications of these codes and standards, including those relating to plagiarism, informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, and equitable and respectful behaviour in academic and clinical settings.
Where relevant, this relates to considerations of current scope of practice, workplace health and safety, and any other matter related to safety. Examples include ability to:
- Ability to understand and comply with all relevant workplace health and safety policies and practices
- Ability to identify and respond to alarm systems
- Ability to understand and demonstrate compliance with current scope of practice
- Ability to manage one's own health in a manner that promotes the ability to fulfill the requirements of study, placements, and the role/s for which the study typically equips the graduate
Rationale
Compliance with current scope of practice, workplace health and safety, infection control considerations and effective and timely response to alarm systems are required to provide safe environments for students, staff and others.
Examples
- Limit task performance to current scope of practice as a midwifery and nursing student within the course
- Undertake shared Continuity of Care experiences with women with consideration to women’s needs balanced with being safe in the maternity workplace needs to optimise personal health and wellbeing of self in undertaking studies
- Comply with relevant workplace health & safety policies for equipment use and storage
- Remain up to date with first-aid and CPR knowledge and practice
- Work safely with clients with infectious diseases and with reduced immunity
- Be able to respond to alarm systems to maintain safety and/or effective health management for self and patients.
This relates to the student's capacity for knowledge acquisition, utilisation and retention. It also includes metacognitive capacity such as awareness of one's own thinking, and the ability to reflect, evaluate, adapt and implement new cognitive strategies. Examples include:
- Focus, memory, attention to detail, theoretical deliberation, and practical functioning sufficient to meet the course objectives
- Ability to reflect and take personal responsibility
- Ability to apply knowledge in practical and theoretical assessment settings
Knowledge & cognitive skills
Inherent requirement
Knowledge acquisition, utilisation and retention spanning and drawing together all coursework subjects. Cognitive skills for focus, memory, attention to detail, theoretical deliberation, and practical functioning sufficient to meet patient care needs.
Rationale
Understanding and retention of coursework information and the effective processing of this information is required for appropriate, safe and effective delivery of care/practice.
Examples
- Make safe and appropriate patient care decisions from retained knowledge.
- Assess the application of policy and procedures in the context of clinical situations.
- Source, research and use an evidence based framework to make sound decisions between clinical management options;
- Assess level and analyse causes of a patient's pain.
- Notice and respond effectively to critical changes in instructions, measurements or observable symptoms, e.g. assess appropriate course of action when patient’s temperature is elevated.
Metacognition
Inherent requirement
Awareness of own thinking, and skills to reflect, evaluate, adapt and implement new cognitive strategies for improved learning and patient care.
Rationale
Understanding and ongoing learning about oneself as an instrument in patient care is required for safe and effective delivery of practice.
Examples
- Demonstrate safe and appropriate decision-making in women’s and babies’ maternity care using reflective processes to inform future midwifery practice
- Review the outcome of treatment for a patient's particular symptom presentation and then adapt own knowledge for future clinical decisions
- Review and reflect on personal responses and cultural paradigms around patient care challenges, and develop safe, effective and professional care approaches
- Manage and proactively learn from academic and clinical set-backs by self- evaluation
- Reflect on the options, ethical implications, and impact for all the stakeholders in women and patient care decisions
- Be aware of, and take responsibility for, own personal role as a midwifery student in women’s maternity care and as a nursing student in the patient care process
This includes both writing and reading, and is also linked to English language proficiency (literacy requirements are always established in terms of English). NB: For VE, literacy requirements are based on the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF). Examples include:
- Capacity to comprehend, summarise and reference a range of literature in accordance with appropriate academic conventions in written assignments
- Producing clear, accurate documentation relating to practical tasks
Rationale
Patient care information can be delivered by many different modes and competent literacy skills for these are essential to provide appropriate, safe and effective delivery of care/practice.
Examples
- Comprehend, summarise and reference a range of literature in accordance with appropriate academic conventions in written assignments.
- Interpret written and spoken language to enact verbal directions or documented patient care plans.
- Produce accurate, concise and clear nursing documentation which meets legal requirements.
This includes any form of numeracy required to complete the course successfully. For many courses, this will be basic functional numeracy. NB: For VE, numeracy requirements are based on the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF). Examples include:
- Competent reasoning and reliable accuracy with numerical concepts
- Ability to perform basic mathematical tasks
Rationale
Competent reasoning and reliable accuracy with numerical concepts are essential for safe and effective care/practice.
Examples
- Calculate and correct intravenous drip rate and drug dosages in a time-constrained environment.
- Calculate patient’s fluid balance status from observation and records.
Verbal communication
Inherent requirement
Verbal communication in English to a standard that allows fluid, clear, and comprehensible two-way discussions for patient care, tailored to the local English-speaking audiences.
Rationale
Effective verbal communication, in English, with patients and university and clinical staff is required for effective learning and to provide safe and effective delivery of care/practice.
Examples
- Convey spoken messages accurately and effectively in a professional/clinical situation.
- Understand and respond to verbal communication accurately and appropriately in a time-constrained environment when a patient provides vital bedside information.
- Build rapport with a patient to encourage full disclosure of symptoms.
- Present information to, and engage in developing discussions with, a wide audience, including academic and professional/clinical presentations.
Non-verbal communication
Inherent requirement
Non-verbal communication skills that enable respectful communication with others to meet patient care needs.
Rationale
The ability to recognise, interpret and respond to non-verbal cues, to communicate with congruent and respectful non-verbal behaviour, and to be sensitive to individual and/or cultural variations in non-verbal communication is essential for safe and effective care.
Examples
- Recognise cues in a patient’s facial expression, appearance, behaviour, posture, or movement.
- Deliver information to a distressed patient incorporating non-verbal behaviour that matches the nature of the information.
- Recognise and adjust to differing touch preferences of patients.
Written communication
Inherent requirement
Ability to produce English text to a standard that provides clear and professional-level communication for patient care, with language usage and style tailored to the targeted recipients.
Rationale
Effective communication in English text is required to demonstrate applied skills in academic writing conventions and in sustained and organised academic argument and provide safe and effective delivery of care/practice.
Examples
- Communicate complex academic and clinical perspectives in writing.
- Summarise and appropriately reference a range of literature in written assignments.
- Use precise and appropriate language to contribute to both handwritten and electronic medical records in a time-constrained environment.
- Construct nursing reports and patient care plans that meet professional standards.
Visual
Inherent requirement
Ability to interact with visual inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments and to meet patient care needs.
Rationale
Elements in the working and learning environment are delivered by visual means, and the ability to learn from or respond to these inputs is required to provide safe and effective practice.
Examples
- Observe and detect subtle changes in a patient’s response to therapeutic procedures e.g. skin colour and/or appearance.
- Inspect wounds for tension on stitches and signs of inflammation and/or infection.
- Read medication labels and syringe graduations.
- Process visual information from monitoring equipment and medical technologies e.g. ECG traces, x-rays, oxygen flow meters.
Auditory
Inherent requirement
Ability to interact with auditory inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments and to meet patient care needs.
Rationale
Elements in the learning and working environments are delivered by auditory means, and the ability to learn from or respond to these inputs is required to provide safe and effective practice.
Examples
- Detect and discriminate changes in blood pressure sounds, pain sounds and breathing sounds.
- Accurately undertake blood pressure measurements by auscultation.
- Detect and discriminate alarms, emergency calls over PA systems, and urgent verbal information for patient care.
- Follow developing discussions with colleagues for patient care decisions.
Tactile
Inherent requirement
Ability to respond to tactile input and provide tactile interaction sufficient to meet patient care needs.
Rationale
Elements in the learning and working environment are detected and measured by tactile means, and the ability to learn from or respond to these inputs is required to provide safe and effective practice. The appropriate use of touch as a part of effective patient care is also required.
Examples
- Detect changes in circulation e.g. temperature of extremities, palpable pulses.
- Conduct a physical assessment and detect any anatomical or physiological abnormalities.
- Apply appropriate technique when performing venipuncture.
- Provide patient care through appropriate and reassuring touch.
Gross motor ability
Inherent requirement
Strength, range of motion, coordination and mobility sufficient to meet patient care needs.
Rationale
A wide range of physical patient care actions in a time-constrained environment is required to provide safe and effective practice.
Examples
- Instigate and contribute to emergency life support.
- Move readily around patients, between work areas and patients, and around varying surfaces and levels, to complete tasks within time-frames.
- Access around bedside equipment, across and patients, across sterile areas without contaminating surfaces.
- Maintain balance and safely assist patient transfers and walking.
- Effectively ascertain patient information from percussion or palpation of a patient's body parts.
Fine motor ability
Inherent requirement
Manual dexterity and fine motor skills sufficient to meet patient care needs.
Rationale
A wide range of fine-motor manual tasks in a time-constrained environment are required to provide safe and effective practice.
Examples
- Adjust intravenous flow rates.
- Draw up medication into a syringe.
- Open sterile packaging without contaminating contents.
- Remove stitches from a wound and perform the insertion of a urinary catheter.
- Contribute to both handwritten and electronic medical records.
Inherent requirement
Sustained physical, cognitive and psychosocial performance sufficient to provide safe and complete patient care in a time-constrained environment.
Rationale
A range of complex, multi-component or extended patient care tasks carried out over a period of time and in a time-constrained environments is required to provide safe and effective practice.
Examples
- Sustain study practices and clinical performance to sufficiently engage with the learning workload for a study period, and for the degree, within a constrained time-frame.
- Sustain a working posture, associated manual tasks, cognitive engagement, performance level and emotional control for the full duration of a patient care process e.g. lumbar puncture on a child; initial assessment of a multiple-trauma burn patient; successive and extended patient assessments with minimal breaks.
- Sustain performance for durations that are manageable within overall shift- planning for patient care.
Inherent requirement
This includes the personal flexibility and resilience required to adapt behaviour to different situations, even when they are stressful or difficult. NB: Care must be taken to allow room in the inherent requirements for the individual to demonstrate behavioural adaptability through withdrawing from activities for a time to undertake medical interventions and self-care measures. Examples include:
- Ability to adjust ways of working to work within teams of varied personal and professional backgrounds
- Being receptive and responding appropriately to constructive feedback
- Maintaining respectful communication practices in times of increased stressors or workloads
- Adjusting to changing circumstances in a way that allows self-care
Rationale
Behavioural adaptation is required to manage personal emotional responses as an individual and within teams in changing and unpredictable environments, including emergency situations and times of human distress. Students will also be required to adapt their behaviour appropriately during times of additional stressors in their own lives, whether this adaptation involves ways of continuing to engage with their role or withdrawing for self- care for a period.
Examples
- Adjust ways of working within teams of varied personal and professional backgrounds and clinical opinions to facilitate effective patient decisions
- Cope with own emotions and behaviour effectively when dealing with changing responses of individuals and families in the clinical setting
- Be receptive and respond appropriately to constructive feedback
- Maintain respectful communication practices in times of increased stressors or workloads
- Adjust to changing circumstances in a way that allows self-care while maintaining a professional-level focus on the patient.
If you have challenges related to a disability or health condition, contact Accessibility Services to discuss possible strategies and reasonable adjustments.