- Inherent requirements key terms
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- Inherent requirements for Midwifery
- Inherent requirements for Nursing (preregistration) courses
- Inherent requirements for Nursing and Midwifery (postgraduate)
- Inherent requirements for Occupational Therapy
- Inherent requirements for Physiotherapy
- Inherent requirements for Podiatric Medicine
- Inherent requirements for Master of Professional Psychology
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Inherent requirements for Midwifery
Introduction
Western Sydney University and the School of Nursing and Midwifery (SoNM) strongly supports the right of all people to pursue a midwifery degree.
Inherent requirements are the essential components of a course or unit that demonstrate the abilities, knowledge and skills to achieve the core learning outcomes of the course or unit, while preserving the academic integrity of the University’s learning, assessment and accreditation processes. The inherent requirements are the abilities, knowledge and skills needed to complete the course that must be met by all students.
Students with a disability or chronic health condition may be able to have reasonable adjustments made to enable them to meet these requirements.
The School is committed to making reasonable adjustments to teaching and learning, assessment, professional practice and other activities to enable students to participate in their course. Reasonable adjustments must not fundamentally change the nature of the inherent requirement.
Students are required to undertake activities which reflect the Australian health care context which may include mixed gender, religious and culturally diverse environments. For further information contact your Director of Academic Program.
Successfully completing the course enables you to apply for registration as a registered midwife with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA), which is a partner board of the Australian Health Practitioners Registration Authority (AHPRA).
To support prospective and current students’ decision making, a series of inherent requirement statements have been developed. These statements specify the essential skills, knowledge and abilities required for the midwifery degrees. Students should use this information to make informed decisions about their chosen course of study. The statements are clustered under 8 domains consisting of ethical behaviour, behavioural stability, legal, communication, cognition, sensory ability, strength and mobility and sustainable performance.
The inherent requirements outlined below provide a guide to inform decision making for students and staff.
How to read the inherent requirement statements
If you are intending to enrol in a midwifery course in the School of Nursing and Midwifery (SoNM), you should look at these inherent requirement statements and think about whether you may experience challenges in meeting these requirements.
If you think you may experience challenges for any reason including a disability or chronic health condition, you should discuss your concerns with the SoNM staff, such as the Director of Academic Program, Academic Course Advisor, School Disability Coordinator or campus Disability Advisor. These staff can work collaboratively with you to determine reasonable adjustments to assist you to meet the inherent requirements. In the case where it is determined that inherent requirements cannot be met with reasonable adjustments, the University staff can provide guidance regarding other study options.
These inherent requirements should be read in conjunction with other course information and NMBA publications such as Guidelines for Mandatory Notifications, Midwife standards for practice, Midwifery code of ethics and Midwifery code of conduct.
Each inherent requirement is made up of the following five levels:
- Level 1 - introduction to the inherent requirement
- Level 2 - description of what the inherent requirement is
- Level 3 - explanation of why this is an inherent requirement of the course
- Level 4 - the nature of any adjustments that may be made to allow you to meet the requirement
- Level 5 - examples of things you must be able to do to show you've met the requirement
There are eight domains of inherent requirements for Midwifery courses. Some domains have a number of sub-domains.
- Ethical behaviour
- Behavioural stability
- Legal
- Communication
- Cognition
- Sensory ability
- Strength & mobility
- Sustainable performance
Inherent requirement statements
Ethical behaviour
Inherent requirements statements | |
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1 | Midwifery is a profession governed by Standards for practice, code of ethics and Code of conduct (opens in a new window) where midwives are both accountable and responsible for ensuring professional behaviour in all contexts. |
2 | Student demonstrates knowledge of, and engages in ethical behaviour in practice. |
3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must ensure the standards, codes, guidelines and policies are not compromised or result in unethical behaviour. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
|
Behavioural stability
Inherent requirements statements | |
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1 | Behavioural stability is required to function and adapt effectively and sensitively in this role. |
2 | Student demonstrates behavioural stability to work constructively in a diverse and changing academic and professional practice environment. |
3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must support stable, effective and professional behaviour in both academic and professional practice settings. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
|
Legal
Inherent requirements statements | |
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1 | Midwifery practice is mandated by specific legislation to enable the safe delivery of care. |
2 | Student demonstrates knowledge and compliance with Australian Law, professional regulations and scope of practice. |
3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
|
4 | Adjustments must be consistent with legislative and regulatory requirements. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
|
Communication
This area of study requires effective, verbal, non-verbal and written communication skills.
VerbalInherent requirements statements | |
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1 | Effective verbal communication, in English, is an essential requirement to provide safe delivery of care. |
2 | Student demonstrates:
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3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must address effectiveness, timeliness, clarity and accuracy issues to ensure safety and appropriate care. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
|
Inherent requirements statements | |
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1 | Effective non-verbal communication is fundamental to midwifery and needs to be respectful, clear, attentive, empathetic and non-judgmental. |
2 | Student demonstrates:
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3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must enable the recognition, initiation of or appropriate response to effective non-verbal communication in a timely and appropriate manner. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
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Inherent requirements statements | |
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1 | Effective written communication, in English, is a fundamental midwifery responsibility with professional and legal ramifications. |
2 | Student demonstrates capacity to construct coherent written communication appropriate to the circumstances. |
3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must meet necessary standards of clarity, accuracy and accessibility to ensure effective recording and transmission of information in both academic and professional practical settings. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
|
Cognition
This area of study requires knowledge of theory and the skills of cognition, literacy and numeracy.
Knowledge and cognitive skillsInherent requirements statements | |
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1 | Consistent knowledge and effective cognitive skills must be demonstrated to provide safe and competent midwifery care. |
2 | Student demonstrates:
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3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must ensure that a clear demonstration of knowledge and cognitive skills is not compromised or impeded. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
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Inherent requirements statements | |
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1 | Competent literacy skills are essential to provide safe and effective delivery of midwifery care. |
2 | Student demonstrates:
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3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must demonstrate a capacity to effectively acquire, comprehend, apply and communicate accurate information. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
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Inherent requirements statements | |
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1 | Competent and accurate numeracy skills are essential for safe and effective midwifery care. |
2 | Student demonstrates the ability to interpret and correctly apply data, measurements and numerical criteria. |
3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
|
4 | Adjustments must demonstrate a capacity to interpret and apply concepts and processes appropriately in a timely, accurate and effective manner. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
|
Sensory ability
This area of study requires adequate visual, auditory and tactile abilities.
VisualInherent requirements statements | |
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1 | Adequate visual acuity is required to provide safe and effective midwifery care. |
2 | Student demonstrates sufficient visual acuity to perform the required range of skills. |
3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must address the need to perform the full range of tasks involved in clinical practice. Any strategies to address the effects of the vision impairment must be effective, consistent and not compromise treatment or safety. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
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Inherent requirements statements | |
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1 | Auditory ability is required to provide safe and effective midwifery care. |
2 | Student demonstrates sufficient aural function to undertake the required range of skills. |
3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must address the need to perform the full range of tasks involved in clinical practice. Any strategies to address the effects of the hearing impairment must be effective, consistent and not compromise treatment or safety. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
|
Inherent requirements statements | |
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1 | Sufficient tactile ability is required to perform competent and safe midwifery care. |
2 | Student demonstrates adequate tactile function sufficient to undertake the required range of skills and assessments. |
3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must have the capacity to make effective assessments of physical characteristics and abnormalities within safe time frames. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
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Strength & mobility
This area of study requires gross motor and fine motor skills.
Gross motorInherent requirements statements | |
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1 | Midwifery is a profession that involves physical demands and requires gross motor function. |
2 | Student demonstrates the ability to perform gross motor skills to function within scope of practice. |
3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments should facilitate functional effectiveness, safety of self and others and a capacity to provide appropriate care. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
|
Inherent requirements statements | |
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1 | Midwifery is a profession that requires manual dexterity and fine motor skills. |
2 | Student demonstrates the ability to use fine motor skills to function within scope of practice. |
3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments should facilitate functional effectiveness, safety to self and others and a capacity to provide appropriate care. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
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Sustainable performance
Inherent requirements statements | |
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1 | Midwifery practice requires both physical and mental performance at a consistent and sustained level. |
2 | Student demonstrates:
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3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must ensure that performance is consistent and sustained over a given period. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
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*Developed from: Johnson, A., Allan,T., Phillips,K., Azzopardi,T., Dickson,C., Goldsmith,M & Hengstberger-Sims, C. (2011). Inherent Requirements of Nursing Education (IRONE), Western Sydney University School of Nursing & Midwifery and Student Equity & Disability Services
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