We provide a learning environment that facilitates motivation, self-directed learning and the development of a professional identity, with support and guidance.
Program
The graduate year for midwives at the Women’s is a great opportunity to put knowledge into practice.
We welcome applications from:
- Single registrant (registered midwives).
- Dual registrants (registered midwives/registered nurses).
Registered nurses completing a Graduate Diploma of Midwifery need to apply to the postgraduate midwifery program.
You will have many opportunities to care for women and their babies from:
- varied backgrounds
- different social status
- a range of beliefs and expectations
- challenged with physical and obstetric conditions
- families with dynamics different to your own.
The Women’s wants midwives who are passionate about caring for women, who can work harmoniously within a team and who can enjoy the challenge of developing themselves as individuals while also developing as midwives.
Duration
The Women’s graduate programs in 2025 provide a full-time (1 full-time equivalent (FTE)) or part-time (0.8 or 0.9 FTE) option.
The Women’s appreciates that the decision to undertake a graduate program on a full-time or part-time basis is individual.
Some of the benefits of completing a graduate program on a full-time basis include:
- Increased contact hours accelerates integration to the world of work, and the development of clinical skill, capability and confidence as nurse and/or midwife.
- Enjoy more take-home pay to put toward things of personal importance or value.
- Accrue the benefit of additional annual leave – full-time employees accrue 6 weeks annual leave per annum.
- Opt-in to gain an accrued paid day off (ADO)* each month – this provides 13 paid days off per year. Note: *based on an 80-hour per-fortnight contract
Additional take-home pay means further growth to your superannuation including optimising the benefits of compounding interest over time.
Employment for 53 weeks with commencement in February or May 2025.
Clinical opportunities
Graduate midwives participate in Team Care and gain experience in the provision of care for women during pregnancy, labour and birth and the postnatal period.
The Team Care Model focuses on continuity of care/carers and promotes true collegiality between disciplines in the care of birthing women.
Throughout the 12 month program, Graduates will complete block rotations to the following areas:
- Birth Centre
- Antenatal Clinic
- Complex Antenatal Ward
- Postnatal
- Elective Caesarean in theatre.
Professional development days
Professional Development days are provided throughout the year, occurring more frequently early in the year.
These days are tailored to meet the specific needs of your graduate group and cover a broad range of topics including:
- Violence against women
- Reproductive loss
- Mental health first aid
- Working with women who have drug and alcohol issues
- Breastfeeding foundations
- Fetal Surveillance Education Program (FSEP)
... and many more.
The Professional Development days are complemented with individual tutorials and workshops that promote creative and reflective midwifery best practice.
In addition to this, the Women’s offers an abundance of learning opportunities. We provide a comprehensive range of services available to women, many specialist practitioners and a variety of education programs available to staff.
Performance development
We understand the importance of regular feedback and provide a structured three-month performance review program. Together, we discuss your progress and identify ongoing learning needs to help you consolidate and develop your midwifery practice.
Support
- The Program Coordinator’s role is to support, counsel and mentor graduate midwives.
- A team of Clinical Support Midwives is willing and able to guide in the clinical setting. The Clinical Support Midwives' role is to orientate, support and guide novice practitioners throughout the year.
- Each placement provides Graduate Midwives a supernumerary time appropriate to that area.
Annual leave
Annual leave will be allocated during the program to recharge your batteries.
Advocacy
The Women's supports the rights of women to make individual decisions related to their health and well-being. This also includes making available pregnancy termination services. In your role as a graduate midwife you may care for women undergoing termination of pregnancy and, included in your care, you may be required to administer the first medication in this process. If you have any concerns in this regard you may need to rethink whether the Women's is the right hospital choice for completion of your Graduate Midwife program.
Graduate Midwife Information Evenings
The 2025 Graduate Midwife Information Evening is scheduled for Monday 27 May 2024 (from 5pm-7pm), via webinar.
The link to the Webex event will be available on this page closer to the date.
More information about the application process.