Consultation has closed
This consultation is now closed. Thank you to everyone who provided their feedback, we greatly value it.
The information we have prepared on this consultation page is directed to members of the public. If you are a current or former Ontario midwife and would like to give your feedback, we invite you to please share your thoughts here.
Background
The mandate of the College is to protect the public by ensuring our registrants meet established standards of competence to provide effective and safe care. Our processes and practices are governed by laws, regulations, and professional standards set by our Board. These regulations help to ensure that midwives act ethically, competently, and safely in their practice.
Midwives currently registered in Ontario are required to demonstrate that they possess the up-to-date knowledge, skills, and judgment required to practice the profession competently and safely. These competencies must be demonstrated at the time of registration, when transitioning from the inactive class to active practice, and as an ongoing requirement during the first two years of practice, and every subsequent five-year period.
The current Registration Regulation narrowly measures currency by the number of births midwives attend in both hospital and out-of-hospital settings, which does not fully capture the evolution of midwifery care. Attending births alone is not the only way to maintain and refine midwifery skills and knowledge. Other activities may play a valuable role in keeping competencies current and ensuring high standards of care.
Since 2020, the College has been updating the Registration Regulation to better align its requirements with the evolving landscape of the midwifery profession. The primary goal of the proposed changes will allow the College’s Board the authority to set minimum requirements for the profession, ensuring the public is protected while reflecting the evolving nature of the profession.
Purpose of the consultation
In anticipation of the changes to our Registration Regulation, we are working to develop a policy on currency that will enable registrants to demonstrate the necessary knowledge, skills, and judgment required to practise midwifery safely and ethically. The College’s primary mandate is to regulate in the public interest and the policy will aim to achieve this by including all types of midwifery activities.
Proposed policy
- Instead of birth numbers, all types of midwifery activities will carry weight. In other words, registered midwives are able to demonstrate currency using both clinical or non-clinical midwifery activities.
- Currency is demonstrated based on the last two years of practice.
- Non-clinical activities are measured in terms of hours due to their diverse nature
- Examples of eligible activities could include*:
- Clinical activities
- Full scope/base course of care
- Client encounters (an interaction between a client and the registrant for the purpose of providing midwifery service(s) or assessing the health status of the client)
- Intrapartum care (primary and second)
- Non-Clinical activities
- Academic/teaching
- Administrative or leadership activities in the field
- Advocacy or governance activities in the field
- Research and education
- Workshop, courses, training
- EDI-related activities
- *the public consultation will assist with the compilation of this list
- Clinical activities
How to provide feedback
We invite you to share your feedback on the proposed policy by letting us know what aspects you support and why, any concerns or challenges you foresee and suggestions for addressing them, as well as any additional considerations or perspectives that should be taken into account.
Members of the public and system partners may submit their comments on this page below until Wednesday, January 29 2025. You may also email your comments to cmo@cmo.on.ca.
Midwives wishing to provide feedback are asked to use the survey provided to answer specific questions about their practise.
All comments are reviewed to ensure they meet the Posting Guidelines. Your name and email will never be published with your feedback, however, you may be identified as a member of the public, a midwife, or a stakeholder. Email addresses are required to ensure that individuals provide feedback only once. If you prefer to provide feedback using a different format, including email, or if you have any questions about the consultation, please contact us at cmo@cmo.on.ca.