The University of the Sunshine Coast will offer a dedicated Bachelor of Midwifery, starting Semester 1, 2017.

The three-year degree will give students the skills and knowledge they need to support women throughout their pregnancy, birth and postnatal journey, with a focus on providing high-quality, holistic maternal care.

It adds to USC’s suite of undergraduate and postgraduate health degrees, which includes a Bachelor of Nursing Science, a combined Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery and a Master of Nursing (Clinical Leadership).

Midwifery students will develop skills using USC’s state-of-the-art simulation facilities and gain hands-on experience in settings such as clinics, community settings and hospitals.

Lecturer in Nursing and Midwifery Dr Rachel Reed said the new degree allowed students to focus solely on the field of midwifery, with graduates equipped to support women throughout their pregnancies – from conception to six weeks postnatal.

“We’ll be equipping students to provide holistic support for the woman – concerning not just their physical health, but also emotional, psychological and social outcomes,” she said.

“There’s such a range of areas graduates could work in. They could practise in the community, a hospital environment, or in a rural or remote setting.

“Students will get a significant amount of face-to-face learning from a really experienced teaching team, including those who are currently practising midwives.”

Clinical facilitator and midwife at The Sunshine Coast Private Hospital (Buderim), Laura Gabriel, said there was a huge variety of work available to graduate midwives.

“It’s an exciting time to be in midwifery,” she said. “I think it’s a really positive thing that USC is offering this course at a time when there is a push in the healthcare sector for a workforce of dedicated midwives to provide continuity of care.

“The Sunshine Coast population is growing, and with a new hospital opening, there are likely to be plenty of opportunities for graduates.

Graduates of USC’s Bachelor of Midwifery will meet the national requirements set by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia to apply for registration as a midwife.

USC will introduce a range of new study programs in 2016, including a dual Law/Environmental Management degree and a Bachelor of Recreation and Outdoor Environmental Studies. For more information, go to www.usc.edu.au/learn.

— Gen Kennedy