Graduate Certificate or Diploma of Midwifery overview
Graduate certificates in midwifery are aimed at existing midwives wishing to deepen their knowledge of the field. They provide additional knowledge of theory and techniques to improve a midwife’s career. Flinders University offers a certificate-level course in which applicants must already be registered midwives to enter and take six months to complete. Diplomas, on the other hand, can be taken by applicants with a prior general nursing degree, making it excellent for nurses wishing to specialise.
Employment options
Students taking these courses do so within an existing nursing or midwife career. The additional knowledge gained from these can lead to new specialisations, however. Homebirth midwives, for instance, are able to visit inaccessible or remote locations to help pregnant women in need. This line of study can also allow midwives to join infertility specialists working for IVF Australia, educating women on the dangers of infertility and available treatments.
Scholarships and funding
Certificate level study in this field can be funded by general scholarship opportunities like the ECIG Scholarship Program or Gallipoli Scholarship Fund, but these often have esoteric requirements students ought to be wary of. Applicants must be descended from a WWI veteran in the latter case, for instance.
Students of midwifery at the diploma level have the unique opportunity to have their studies partially funded by the Australian government. Curtin University’s courses on midwifery are an example of this advantage; students gain a deeper theoretical and practical understanding of the craft at a lessened price, but places are limited.
Prerequisites and selection process
The selection process is fairly strict for graduate certificates in midwifery, requiring entrants to be registered midwives already. The certificate offered by Flinders University is an example of this, requiring exactly these prerequisites for entry.
Diplomas are somewhat less stringent, requiring a three-year bachelor level degree in nursing to commence. James Cook University exemplifies this quality in their year and a half long program, requiring registration as a nurse in addition to an AQF level 7 bachelor degree in nursing for entry.