Australian Midwifery Practice: Challenges and Trends

This assignment delves into the contemporary state of midwifery practice in Australia. It examines various aspects, including midwives' experiences transitioning to practice, pain management practices for neonates, complementary medicine support, caseload midwifery models, and student perceptions of learning environments. The analysis also considers continuing professional development trends, advanced practice roles, personal resilience factors among nurses and midwives, and national practice standards within general practice settings. The assignment draws upon a collection of Australian research articles to provide insights into the challenges and evolving trends shaping the field of midwifery.

Nursing and Midwifery Practice
Case Study analysis

Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Case Study 1.................................................................................................................................4
Case Study 2.................................................................................................................................6
Case Study 3.................................................................................................................................7
Reflection.........................................................................................................................................8
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................9
References......................................................................................................................................10

Introduction
Nursing is a noble job and there are many students who aspire to be a successful nurse in their
professional career. The job of nurses and midwives might apparently seem easier but they are
way tougher than it seems theoretically and hence it is important for the healthcare organisations
and the students to concentrate on understanding the different key aspects of practice and make
sure they abide these requirements effectively. The nurses and the midwives have to abide by the
different legal obligations and the code of conduct and ethics which would help them to provide
effective care to the service users. The nurses and midwives are legally obligated which means
they will have to follow certain healthcare practice rules which would help to make sure that the
services are provided as per the standards of health and social care laid down by the government.
One of the best ways to understand these laws and to practice effectively is to do a strong
professional assessment through reflection. The present study will take an opportunity to discuss
the role of the student and professional midwives and nurses, their legal obligations through case
studies and reflection which would help to address the key objective of the study.

Case Study 1
In the very beginning of this case it is important to mention that as a student nurse or a midwife it
is important to learn the best things possible in the placement which cannot be done once the
placement or the course is completed. Facing problems practically might be a genuine problem if
he or she is not faced with issues during the completion of the course. This case study is a perfect
example of understanding issues at the healthcare placement and would be able to manage the
practice in the best possible manner. In the present case it is clear that the colleagues working
with the other student nurse is seen to be injured and are not able to perform their tasks properly
which means it is important for them to inform the healthcare organisation about the present
health condition effectively. It is also important to mention that given their health condition they
have not been able to manage service provision which means the care users will suffer and hence
it is the responsibility of the other nurses to maintain a strong balance in the side to make sure
the service provision is effectively practiced (Schneider and Whitehead, 2013).
In this case it is responsible for the nurse who is aware of the fact that the colleagues are injured
and cannot perform the daily job effectively to bring it to the notice of the organisation to make
sure proper action is taken to make sure they are cured and brought back into action. The code of
professional conduct for nurses in Australia and the Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia work
together which is mainly laid down to make sure the nurses and midwives working in the
organisation is able to manage each other’s back and provide effective service. It sets proper
guidelines and rules to operate effectively and eliminate any confusion to give the best possible
service. As a student one need to focus on completing the basic placement in order to complete
the course but in this case the injured student nurses wouldn’t be able to do that as they are
injured and will not be able to care service properly (Lowe et al., 2012).
As per the conduct statement given in the Code of professional conduct for nurses it is important
for each and every nurse to inform the immediate supervisors about the scope of their practice
including any kind of limitation. In this case the student who was aware of this condition of the
colleagues is responsible to inform this to the supervisor for the health and safety of the
colleagues so that they could come back fresh and do their duty properly. As stated in the code of
practice that the nurses are required to perform their duty based on a particular standard which in
this case is not happening. The Nursing Act 1992 takes the responsibility of implementing

effective standard of practice which is important to be abided by in order to provide the right
kind of care to the service users (Borbasi and Jackson, 2015). In this case when the student nurse
realises that the colleagues are not able to provide effective care to the service users it is
important to make sure they are properly escalated to the upper management so that the upper
management is able to take proper actions to ensure the employees are fine and are able to
perform their duties properly.
The nurses and the midwives have to be up on their toes in order to make sure the need and want
of the patients are properly met but if one nurse is injured as it has happened in this case it is
important for the other one to take the responsibility and report it to the supervisor and the upper
management in order to bring this into their notice. The possibility of making further harm on
one’s self is clearly impactful which shows the mental destabilisation of the nurses which would
further affect their practice and hence it is important to mention that they should take
professional health guidance which is extremely important for an organisation. Overall speaking
from the personal point of view it is essential in this case that operating effectively abiding by
the healthcare conduct practice and ethics in this case will definitely help to mitigate the pressure
(Nursing and Federation, 2014).
As a student healthcare professional especially when one is a nurse it becomes extremely
important to make sure that all the responsibilities should be properly managed and in fact it is
important that all the possible problems are faced with by the nurses in order to make sure the
right kind of service is provided effectively to the service users. Workplace health and safety is
an extremely important aspect and it has to be kept in mind by the nurses in order to provide the
best possible result for the service users. Since the healthcare organisations are equally affected
due to the shortage in staffs and hence it is important for the healthcare organisations in Australia
to make sure the health status of each and every nurse and midwife to keep them fit and
effective. The healthcare organisations are responsible for the health and safety of not only the
patients but also for the employees which is clearly discussed in Workplace Health and Safety
Act 2011 (Chang and Daly, 2015). Hence in order to make sure the service is properly managed
and all the nurses are having an effective health status it is important to work on the information
received from the peers and regularly making a check on the business. Hence to conclude it
could be said since the student nurse was concerned about the health status of the peers it is

essential that there health condition is reported effectively which would help to make sure the
services provided are of proper standards which is at par with the healthcare practice set by the
Government in the Nursing Act 1992 and strive to perform effectively with it that leads to
effective service provision (Daly, Speedy and Jackson, 2017).
Case Study 2
The Australian Healthcare Practitioner Regulation Agency works in partnership with the
National Health Board Australia and the main focus of this is to make sure the practice done in a
healthcare organisation is strong and content. Under the national registration scheme of the
nurses and midwives it is clearly stated that the students and professional nurses will only get
registrations when they are not in attachment with any kind of illicit use of drugs. In this case it
is clearly showed that the behavior of the registered nurses staying with the narrator is not in the
clear frame of mind and there have been significant issues which have affected the service
provision clearly. The entire employee working under the regular health practitioner national law
all the nurses will have to follow certain procedure to get registration that opens the road to
proper practice in the healthcare organisation (Fenwick et al., 2012).
As per the code of professional conduct laid down by the NMBA and the healthcare Government
body in Australia a person is found suitable to practice as a nurse or a student only when he or
she is personally accountable for the practice and for the provision of safe and competent
practice and nursing care. It is the responsibility of the nurses to make sure they not only take
their own responsibilities but also take the responsibilities of the other patients and the
colleagues. In this case it is very clear that the flat mate of the narrator is not in a stable health
condition and has been caught possessing drugs which are clearly illegal. On the other hand it is
also mentioned in the code of professional conduct that the nurses will have to practice in the
safe and competent environment and personal health limitations will affect the overall healthcare
service provision and hence it is important for the nurses and the student nurses to make sure
they do not get entangled in illegal activities and possession of drugs (El Haddad, Moxham and
Broadbent, 2013).

In this scenario that healthcare organisations or the education provider might have to intervene or
else it will ruin the career of the student nurses and the professional nurses and the midwives. It
needs to focus on the proper analysis of the employees or the student nurses to focus on the
implementation of the efficient employees in the organisation. Hence it could be said that as per
the Code of ethics for nurses in Australia it is important to escalate the matter to the healthcare
body which would help to make sure the person is treated properly so that the service users could
be provided with suitable care support. Hence overall at the present moment it is the
responsibility of the colleague to report to the healthcare body or the education provider to have
a proper check on the candidates effectively in order to get the best possible result from the tests
and communicate the same so that the real issue could be mitigated properly to get the nurses
back on track (Jones, Creedy and Gamble, 2012).
Case Study 3
It is clearly against the ethics of practice to come under the influence of alcohol as it can affect
the overall development of the patient. In this case it can been seen that the students from a
particular education provider have been working under the influence of alcohol which is against
the ethics as the students just need to focus on providing the best possible service to the
consumers and effectively manage their overall development. The case also shows that they have
been withdrawn from the placement which is not a good indication and clearly means that the
students are not interested in nursing. It is clearly stated in the code of professional conduct in
Australia as well as in the Nursing Act 1992 that the nurses will have to be efficient and
competent but this cannot happen if the students are withdrawn from placement and are not
ready to learn (Hall, McKenna and Griffiths, 2012). Hence it is important to have a proper
communication with them in order to make sure the entire scenario could be understood and
properly managed. It is also important to note that tainting the name of the place where one
works is legally wrong which defames the organisation and in this case the students have done
the same thing which clearly means that they have done it under inebriated state and hence they
have to handle strictly. According to the code of ethics for nurses in Australia integrity, respect
are two different important things which have been missing in this case and hence it is extremely
important for the organisations and the education providers to make sure it is intact and the

students are properly communicated with in order to develop a strong understanding of the
importance of ethics and professionalism. The students have shown unprofessional behavior
posing for pictures with uniforms and hence it needs to be properly managed by the
organisations since it questions their professionalism and integrity (Foster et al., 2013).
Reflection
As per the Gibbs Cycle reflection is the best way to learn and do things. It has six stages which
are description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and action. Based on my previous
experience the Gibbs Cycle will help me to learn things and implement it in future activities
which is extremely important to grow as a nurse.
Case Study 1
Description: In all the cases that I faced there are significant aspects to be defined. In the first
case I was in the placement where I understood that my immediate colleagues are injured which
became worse the very following day. I did not have any idea about it but realised that they are
not able to properly work due to strained body and unstable mind.

Feelings: I felt lonely and uneasy since I did not have any idea about what to do in such
circumstances. Even though I was thinking of helping my colleagues I didn’t have any idea about
what to do.
Evaluation: This experience exposed me into new environment in healthcare which definitely
helped me to sharpen my personal skills and how I handle pressure in the future. It could be said
that most of the students would support and join friends but getting experience from this
experience made me hone my decision making skills.
Analysis: Analysing the case scenario responsibility is an important aspect and it is important to
make proper decisions.
Conclusion: Concluding the case I would like to say that I was not active rather reactive and
hence I feel I could have helped them in such situations but still report them to the upper
management for their betterment.
Action: If similar situations arose again I would obey the professional conduct and nursing ethics
and will support the colleagues but would strive to make them better by taking stronger steps.
Case Study 2
Description: My flat mate was not in good frame of mind and has been caught possessing drug
which is definitely against the rule of nursing conduct and ethics. Not being in clear frame of
mind has been a problem.
Feelings: I felt embarrassed and equally bad to see the health status of my mate and I was
thinking to give support but I was too inexperienced to react on that situation.
Evaluation: This experience helped me to revisit the basic learning for becoming a nurse that is
to become responsible and ethical. As a nurse one should always look to act ethically but
possessing drugs is an antisocial behavior.
Analysis: The flat mate looked helpless and definitely needed professional support.

Conclusion: To conclude it could be said that I have realised that as a nurse or an aspiring nurse
it is important to be responsible and strive to contribute to the society eliminating all the personal
problems.
Action: If the situation arose again I would provide professional support and report my flat mate
to the upper management so that my flat mate could be rehabilitated.
Case Study 3
Description: My colleagues have been caught withdrawn from the placement and have come to
practice under the influence of alcohol which is ethically not right.
Feelings: I felt bad and irritated with them since this is not the right way to practice. I wanted to
report them but I was too young and inexperienced to do such thing.
Evaluation: They were grieving the death of someone close but it is completely illegal to pose
while imbibing in nurse uniform which is clearly illegal.
Analysis: The entire incident was illegal and from the point of view of a nurse it was very
unprofessional of them to act such a way.
Conclusion: The colleagues need help and they should go back and learn code of professional
conduct and ethics.
Action: As a professional if I face same situation it would report them to the education provider
and also support them by letting them know about the professional conduct and ethics.
Conclusion
The present study shows the importance of the different key aspects of nursing and midwifery
practice. It is clear from the study that nursing conduct and professional ethics will have to be
implemented by the students in their practice which would help them in the long run. It is also
important to learn from mistakes and hence making the use of the cases and implementing them
to reflect on the activities done will help the nursing personnel to make changes in their practice
(Buckley et al., 2013).

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