This module will provide students with the skills to complete an assessment of the MH needs of pregnant women and new mothers.
NICE (2016) describe the assessment of PMH as a high priority area for quality improvement and outline guidance for the assessment of the MH of pregnant women and new mothers. This module will provide students with the skills to complete an assessment of the MH needs of pregnant women and new mothers.
During pregnancy and in the year after birth, women can be affected by a number of mental health (MH) problems. These can range from mild to moderate conditions such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and adjustment reactions, to more severe conditions such as bipolar affective disorder (BPAD), schizophrenia and puerperal psychosis. Conditions such as these often develop suddenly and require different kinds of care or treatment and they are collectively referred to as "perinatal mental illnesses". the incidence of many MH disorders per se does not change during the perinatal period and thereby, pregnant women and new mothers have the same level of risk as other adults. What is particularly different however, is that the effects of these illnesses are likely to be more significant at this critical period in a women's life and for certain serious mental illnesses, such as puerperal psychosis, severe depressive illness, schizophrenia and bipolar illness, the risk of developing or experiencing a recurrence of the illness does increase after childbirth. Joint Commissionning Panel for Mental Health (2012) - Guidance for Commissioners of Perinatal Mental Health Services.
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In this section
This module has a twofold aim that will enable midwives to:
* Assess the MH status of childbearing wormen and refer appropriately to specialist services
* Work within the multiagency context to ensure efficient, effective and safe management of women who have an identified MH need during pregnancy and the early postnatal period
100% Coursework
Module runs over a 12 week period in total. Mode of Attendance can vary between modules ie weekly, block teaching or alternate weekly teaching. Please contact the individual Module Co-ordinator for details.
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The normal study load expectation for an undergraduate full-time course of study in the standard academic year is 120 credit points. This amounts to around 36-42 hours of expected teaching and learning per week, inclusive of attendance requirements for lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical work, fieldwork or other scheduled classes, private study, and assessment. Teaching and learning activities will be in-person and/or online depending on the nature of the course. Part-time study load is the same as full-time pro-rata, with each credit point representing 10 hours of student effort.
Postgraduate Master’s courses typically comprise 180 credits, taken in three semesters when studied full-time. A Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) comprises 60 credits and can usually be completed on a part-time basis in one year. A 120-credit Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) can usually be completed on a part-time basis in two years.
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Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes. You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessments. This feedback may be issued individually and/or issued to the group and you will be encouraged to act on this feedback for your own development.
Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification, the assessment timetable and the assessment brief. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.
Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised. The module pass mark for undergraduate courses is 40%. The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.
The class of Honours awarded in Bachelor’s degrees is usually determined by calculation of an aggregate mark based on performance across the modules at Levels 5 and 6, (which correspond to the second and third year of full-time attendance).
Level 6 modules contribute 70% of the aggregate mark and Level 5 contributes 30% to the calculation of the class of the award. Classification of integrated Master’s degrees with Honours include a Level 7 component. The calculation in this case is: 50% Level 7, 30% Level 6, 20% Level 5. At least half the Level 5 modules must be studied at the University for Level 5 to be included in the calculation of the class.
All other qualifications have an overall grade determined by results in modules from the final level of study.
In Masters degrees of more than 200 credit points the final 120 points usually determine the overall grading.
Figures from the academic year 2022-2023.
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Courses are taught by staff who are Professors (19%), Readers, Senior Lecturers (22%) or Lecturers (57%).
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The profiles of many academic staff can be found on the University’s departmental websites and give a detailed insight into the range of staffing and expertise. The precise staffing for a course will depend on the department(s) involved and the availability and management of staff. This is subject to change annually and is confirmed in the timetable issued at the start of the course.
Occasionally, teaching may be supplemented by suitably qualified part-time staff (usually qualified researchers) and specialist guest lecturers. In these cases, all staff are inducted, mostly through our staff development programme ‘First Steps to Teaching’. In some cases, usually for provision in one of our out-centres, Recognised University Teachers are involved, supported by the University in suitable professional development for teaching.
Figures from the academic year 2022-2023.
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Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and EU Settlements Status Fees: £1,166.70
England, Scotland, Wales and the Islands Fees: £1,166.70
International Fees: £0.00
For a 30 Credit Point Postgraduate Module the fee for 2024/25 is £1,166.70
Fees are correct at the time of publishing https://www.ulster.ac.uk/finance/student/tuition-fees-rates
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Students choosing a period of paid work placement or study abroad as a part of their course should be aware that there may be additional travel and living costs, as well as tuition fees.
See the tuition fees on our student guide for most up to date costs.
CONTACT MODULE CO-ORDINATOR:
Mr Victor Robinson
Ulster continues to develop and support sustainability initiatives with our staff, students, and external partners across various aspects of teaching, research, professional services operations, and governance.
At Ulster every person, course, research project, and professional service area on every campus either does or can contribute in some way towards the global sustainability and climate change agenda.
We are guided by both our University Strategy People, Place and Partnerships: Delivering Sustainable Futures for All and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Our work in this area is already being recognised globally. Most recently by the 2024 Times Higher Education Impact rating where we were recognised as Joint 5th Globally for Outreach Activities and Joint Top 20 Globally for Sustainable Development Goal 17: Partnership for the Goals.
Visit our Sustainability at Ulster destination to learn more about how the University strategy and the activities of Ulster University support each of the Sustainable Development Goals.
