Frequently Asked Questions about Registering as a Midwife in BC

As of 2008 all midwives educated outside of Canada must apply to and complete the Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Program (MMBP) in order be registered to practice in British Columbia.

The MMBP includes orientation and support, as well as an opportunity for Canadian clinical experience and assessment for internationally-educated midwives who want to work in BC. It is designed to prepare you to take the Canadian Midwifery Registration Examination (CMRE) when you complete the program and to ensure that you are oriented to work in both the Canadian model of midwifery and in the Canadian health care system.

There will be some mandatory components of the Bridging Program that everyone must take, but otherwise each person will have a personally-tailored path through the Bridging Program depending on their midwifery education, clinical experience and English language fluency. Some may be eligible for fast-tracking through the program.

For more information on the Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Pilot, visit www.midwiferybridging.ca.

An Application Package will be posted on this site in July 2008.

The first thing to do is ensure that you have the required level of English-language fluency to enter the Bridging program. We expect MMBP requirements to be similar to BC's requirements in the past and recommend that you aim to meet those fluency requirements (e.g. IELTS - 7.0 overall with 6.5 minimum in each section; Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English - B; or TOEFL iBT- 70 for reading, listening, and writing total, and 26 speaking). For more details, refer to English Fluency Requirements on this website. The MMBP is currently looking at midwifery English language fluency requirements from across Canada. MMBP program requirements will be posted on www.cmrc-ccosf.ca soon.

In order to practice as a midwife in BC, you need to be able to verbally communicate with clients and with other health care professionals both in-person and on the phone at the level required of a primary care provider. You need to be fluent in the use of medical terminology to communicate with professionals and able to discuss care options in simple, lay language with clients. It is critical that you understand what is said to you and that others understand you, including in high stress situations.

You also need to be able to write clearly on client charts and official records, write consultation letters to other health providers, and write information sheets for clients.

You need to be able to read and understand maternity related research and stay up-to-date on information being applied to practice in the Canadian maternity care community. Finally, you need to be able to participate in workshops and lectures for health care professionals, and stay current and involved in the professional midwifery community in BC.

All of these tasks require very high levels of language proficiency. Even after meeting CMBC's English fluency requirements, some candidates still find language fluency an added challenge in passing exams, where professional and appropriate communication is assessed. Clear communication is also very important during supervised practice. Thus, becoming more fluent in English will help you throughout the Bridging program, during exams and in your practice once you are registered.

In Mid-April 2008, go to the Canadian Midwifery Regulator's Consortium (CMRC) website, www.cmrc-ccosf.ca, and familiarize yourself with the Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Program requirements. In mid-June 2008 return to the site and complete the Readiness Self-Assessment questionnaire for the MMBP. It will help you determine if you are ready to apply to the Bridging Program.

Once you are ready to apply, you can apply on-line at the CMRC website. The on-line application will ask you what province you want to be registered in. When you enter British Columbia (BC), you will be given specific BC information and a BC application form.

Yes. All of your clinical experience as a midwife that can be verified will be considered in the assessment process.

Experience as a registered midwife in Canada will be considered in assessment processes. Please note that if you are registered as a midwife in a province or territory that has signed Canada's Mutual Recognition Agreement for Midwifery, and have been registered for one or more years, you should apply directly to the College of Midwives of BC through inter-provincial reciprocity under the Mutual Recognition Agreement for Midwifery rather than through the Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Program.

Only experience gained working legally as a midwife can be counted toward registration in BC. Experience working as a midwife in a Canadian jurisdiction where midwifery is not yet regulated can only be accepted if you can provide proof that you were hired to work as a midwife with primary responsibility for your clients (not delegated authority from a physician), such as in a pilot project supported by provinical or territorial legislation. We cannot count clinical experience gained as a nurse or other caregiver.

There may be provisions made within the MMBP to assess midwives who have previous experience working in provinces and territories where midwifery legislation has recently been proclaimed. These applicants may be able to count their pre-regulation experience toward registration in that newly regulated province or territory, but not for registration in BC.

The education requirements for participation in the Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Program, leading to registration in BC, will be outlined on the CMRC website, www.cmrc-ccosf.ca. You should expect these requirements to set out some absolute minimums that every applicant must meet them in order to be accepted into the Bridging Program.

If your midwifery educational program was less than the minimum requirement you will need to do further midwifery education upgrading before being eligible to apply to the Bridging Program.

No, in order to ensure that midwives are able to function in the full scope of a BC midwife, the assessment process looks at theoretical and practical training and experience. All aspects are equally important and requirements cannot be waived. Some education programs will evaluate a midwife's experience and offer advanced entry to a senior year. This may be one way to meet the education requirements.

Yes. Within the Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Program, you will have some orientation and exposure to the homebirth environment. If, after the program is complete, you still do not have enough homebirth experience, you will be able to gain the rest as a Conditional Registrant in BC. Conditional registration provides a period of supervised practice where homebirths are managed with the support of experienced BC midwives. Once a Conditional Registrant is competent to independently manage homebirths (and any other gaps in experience or competency are remedied), they are eligible for General Registration.

Yes. Within the Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Program you will have the opportunity to get an orientation to and experience in the continuity of care model. Your experience in antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum care may be considered towards equivalency of continuity.

You may also be required to manage a certain number of courses of continuity of care as a Conditional registrant in supervised practice prior to being eligible for General Registration in BC.

You may be, depending on your overall career experience.

On the CMRC website, www.cmrc-ccosf.cayou will find the minimum birth experience numbers you need in order to apply to the Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Program, which leads to registration in BC.

There are options for people who do not have very much or any current (in the last five years) experience.

The Bridging Program birth number requirements for entry, however, are considered absolute minimum numbers and every candidate must have at least this much experience for eligibility to participate in the program. There are no exceptions.

Yes, but only once enrolled in the Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Program. The Bridging Program will have a clinical clerkship component where you can gain additional clinical experience within the British Columbia model of midwifery care. If you still require more clinical experience after you have completed the Bridging program in order to meet the College of Midwives of BC General Registrant requirements, you will be able to gain that experience as a Conditional Registrant under the supervision and support of experienced BC midwives.

Once you have gained all your required experience, you will be eligible for General Registration in BC.

No, the Bridging Program and assessment process is only able to evaluate midwives at this time.

No. Only registered midwives may provide care to clients in BC. You may, however, observe midwifery care. This is a good way to learn more about the model of midwifery practice in British Columbia, including how midwives communicate with their clients and with other health professionals. If you wish to observe midwifery care, you should approach a midwifery practice in your area to see if they are able to provide that opportunity to you. Contact information for midwifery practices in BC can be found on this website under "Find a Midwife".

The Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Program, starting in 2008/09, will have courses, workshops and clerkship opportunities for those needing to upgrade their midwifery skills. When you apply to the Bridging Program in order to be registered in British Columbia, you will be assessed as to which courses/workshops you will need to take in order to successfully complete the Bridging Program and meet the requirements for registration.

Intake into the Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Program happens once a year and the program is approximately 8 to 9 months long. Some applicants may meet requirements for fast-tracking through the process, while others may need more support and time.

After successfully completing the Bridging program candidates will be eligible to take the Canadian Midwifery Registration Examination (CMRE) and get registered as a General Registrant midwife in British Columbia. After passing the exam, others may need further support as a Conditional Registrant under the supervision of an experienced BC midwife until they can meet all the requirements for general registration.

If you are an immigrant with permanent resident status in Canada who arrived here in the last 5 years and you have worked as a midwife for at least 3 years in your home country, you may be eligible for a BC government funded program that offers career counseling and financial support towards getting registered and starting work in your profession. Two agencies currently offer this program:

Arrive BC (Vancouver Lower Mainland and other areas of BC)
www.arrivebc.com
Vancouver Lower Mainland: 604.575.3800
Outside Vancouver toll-free: 1.877.277.4832
Email: info@arrivebc.com

Working Solutions (Vancouver Lower Mainland only)
www.douglascollege.ca/workingsolutions
604.777.6099
Email: workingsolutions@douglascollege.ca

You may only be registered as a midwife in BC once you have obtained legal authorization to work in Canada. For more information:

Citizenship and Immigration Canada: www.cic.gc.ca

BC Provincial Nominee Program (including fast-track immigration for midwives): www.pnp.gov.bc.ca

You will also need to obtain practice insurance which is arranged through the Midwives Association of BC, www.bcmidwives.com

Most people enrolled in the Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Program will be able to gain the required experience for general registration within the program. A period of additional supervised practice may be needed for some and if this pertains to you, you would be informed as you proceed through the Bridging Program.

Sometimes. This depends on financial arrangements with the specific practice that you work with to meet your supervision requirements. You will have a billing number as soon as you are registered.

Supervision is a progressive process and you may receive little remuneration at the start of supervised practice when you are observing or being directly supervised. However, you should begin to receive remuneration (be able to bill the Medical Service Plan for the care you provide) as you become more independent and take on clients of your own.

For more information related to pay or midwifery practice arrangements, contact the Midwives Association of BC at www.bcmidwives.com.

Information about the model of practice, standards, and the competencies can be located on this website.

The Midwives Association of BC is the professional association for midwives. Memberships are available. www.bcmidwives.com

The Canadian Association of Midwives is the umbrella organization for midwifery professional associations in Canada. CAM publishes a Journal and offers an annual conference amongst other activities. www.canadianmidwives.org

The Canadian Midwifery Regulators Consortium is the umbrella organization for midwifery regulators in Canada. Their website has detailed information for internationally-educated midwives. The CMRC oversees the Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Program and administers the national Canadian Midwifery Registration Examination (CMRE). www.cmrc-ccosf.ca