A growing number of undergraduate nursing and midwifery students nationwide are voicing concerns about the significant challenges posed by hundreds of hours of mandatory unpaid clinical placements.

Erin Pereira, a former banker turned aspiring midwife, found inspiration in the remarkable work of midwives during the birth of her first child.

Now in her final year of a Bachelor of Midwifery at Griffith University in Brisbane, she faces the financial challenges shared by many nursing and midwifery students across Australia due to mandatory unpaid clinical placements.

Undergraduate students are typically required to complete a minimum of 800 hours of unpaid clinical placements, and for those pursuing double degrees, it increases to over 1500 hours.

This year, Erin will clock up 400 clinical placement hours. Unlike many students who complete placements at numerous clinical settings, often at short notice, her posts remain fixed at the Toowoomba Hospital’s maternity unit, where she gains hands-on experience two to three days per week throughout the year. Additionally, Griffith midwifery students, including Erin, must undertake Continuity of Care Experiences (CoCEs), shadowing women during pregnancy, birth, and six weeks postpartum.

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