Nursing and midwifery are both extremely rewarding professions with varied career outcomes. Some midwives are also nurses and some nurses are also midwives. But they are different professions and require different sets of skills, training and experience.

Nursing offers diverse opportunities in many areas including clinical, management, research and education.

Midwifery focuses on the health and wellbeing of women before, during and after childbirth. It’s a broad and varied role, like nursing, that has many career prospects depending on your interests.

Health is a growing industry overall in Australia. According to the Department of Jobs and Small Business Labour Market Information Portal midwives will experience a 16% increase in jobs growth, while nursing is set to experience a 11.7% jobs boost.

The 2021 ATAR for Midwifery was 94.35 and the 2021 ATAR for Nursing was 65.

Yes. You will complete a range of field placements at public and private hospitals across metropolitan and rural areas. Throughout your degree you will experience clinical placements in many areas of midwifery practice, such as antenatal, birthing, post-natal, gynaecology, community midwifery, and neonatal special care.

Yes, you will be required to be on call to successfully complete your Continuity of Care Experience (CoCE). You will be actively involved with women during their pregnancy and birth experience and will need to be available when the women are giving birth, which could be at any time, day or night. It is a requirement that you are available to be on call for the labour and birth for these women, equivalent to at least five times a year for each year of your degree.

Yes. Placements for nursing may occur at any time of the year and will include shift work (including night shift and public holidays) across a seven-day week roster. It’s recommended that you do not book holidays or make travel arrangements until your placement has been confirmed on InPlace. Placements occur in a full-time block format attended over several weeks. Placement topics in the Bachelor of Nursing program range from 2 to 8 weeks in length.

If you are studying full-time (18 units per semester), you would normally need to spend about two-and-a-half to three days on campus to attend compulsory classes such as laboratories, tutorials, and workshops.

No, Undergraduate nursing and midwifery students do not get paid for placement.

No, nursing is not run within the normal university semester. Students are expected to be available all year round.

Yes, as you will be on call for your CoCE and are required to travel to each of your placement locations across all shifts. Private transport is recommended for your convenience and safety.

Yes, upon completion of the midwifery program you will be able to register as a midwife with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Upon the completion of the nursing program, you can apply to AHPRA for official registration as a Registered Nurse.