Professional Development Portfolio

The self-assessment built into the Professional Development Portfolio is designed to assist you as you identify your learning needs and can serve as the foundation for creating your Learning Plan.

Unlike other components of the Professional Development Portfolio (e.g., case review reports), the self-assessment is for your use only and won’t be accessible to, or reviewed by, the College.

Midwives are required to complete and report on the completion of their self-assessment every three years. However, we recommend annual completion to continually assess your knowledge and skills related to the standards of midwifery.

Midwives are welcome to use the Canadian Midwifery Regulators Council self-assessment tool, or any other, to meet the self-assessment requirement in the Portfolio.

(Outil d’auto-évaluation de la pratique sage-femme du CCOSF)

Every three years, you’ll identify learning goals through the self-assessment process, issues brought up during a peer case review, challenges during a client interaction, or a breakdown in communication with another health care provider. Any area of your professional life that requires extra attention can be included as a learning goal in your Learning Plan.

You should aim to meet a minimum of one learning goal per year. You’ll select one short-term goal to be met in the first year of your reporting cycle and two long-term goals to be met in years two and three.

The College does not specify the types of learning goals required. However, midwives are encouraged to choose goals that include both technical skills and non-technical skills.

Case reviews are formal gatherings to discuss specific clinical cases with the goal of learning. The College does not specify the details of how to conduct a case review. However, case reviews should be conducted in accordance with a framework that is agreed upon by all participants.

Additionally, case reviews must be held with at least two midwifery practice groups or among a group of interprofessional colleagues.
Midwives who are registered in the general, supervised practice, or transitional class for 12 months or more are required to attend four case reviews per year of registration, for a total of 12 case reviews attended over the three-year cycle.

Midwives who are registered in the general, supervised practice, or transitional class for less than 12 months of the reporting period are not required to participate in, or obtain evidence of, attendance at case reviews.

Table: required number of case reviews per months in general case

All midwives—including those in the inactive class—will be required to submit a declaration of completion to the College via the Registrant Portal by the reporting deadline.

We can make accommodations for midwives who experience barriers to participating in, or reporting on, their Professional Development Portfolio.

You must submit your first declaration of completion three years after you become registered with the College, as shown below:

After your initial reporting deadline, your Portfolio life cycle will start over, and you’ll be required to submit every three years thereafter.

Each year, 20% of reporting midwives will be selected by the College to have their Portfolio reviewed for completion. Selected midwives will then have 30 days to submit their Portfolio and any supporting documentation such as certificates, diplomas, conference proceedings, or other materials that demonstrate their participation in learning activities.

Midwives who submit their declaration of completion and are not randomly selected for review are considered compliant with the Professional Development Portfolio requirements.

Midwives who submit their declaration of completion and are randomly selected for review and submit complete records by the assigned deadline are considered compliant with the Professional Development Portfolio.

Midwives who are considered compliant will receive a notice of compliance.

Non-compliance

Midwives who do not submit a declaration of completion or who are selected for review and do not submit a completed Professional Development Portfolio will receive a notice of non-compliance and must pay an administrative fee. See Fees and Remuneration By-Law.

Midwives marked non-compliant may make a written submission regarding their non-compliance to the Quality Assurance Committee (QAC) within 30 days of receiving the notice. Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of the QAC.

Exemptions

If you are unable to meet your Professional Development Portfolio requirements due to exceptional circumstances such as illness, parental leave, or disability leave, you can be granted an exemption from any, or all, of the program requirements.

• A full exemption means you would have no reporting obligations for the entire three-year Professional Development Portfolio cycle for which the exemption was requested.
• A partial exemption means you would still be required to complete some, though not all, of the Professional Development Portfolio requirements for the three-year reporting cycle.

Midwives must apply for an exemption at least 15 business days prior to their reporting deadline by submitting an Exemption Request form.

If the exemption is not warranted, the midwife will be considered non-compliant with the Professional Development Portfolio if they remain unable to meet the requirements.

If you are unable to meet your Professional Development Portfolio requirements due to exceptional circumstances such as illness, parental leave, or disability leave, you can be granted an exemption from any, or all, of the program requirements.

• A full exemption means you would have no reporting obligations for the entire three-year Professional Development Portfolio cycle for which the exemption was requested.
• A partial exemption means you would still be required to complete some, though not all, of the Professional Development Portfolio requirements for the three-year reporting cycle.

Midwives must apply for an exemption at least 15 business days prior to their reporting deadline by submitting an Exemption Request form.

If the exemption is not warranted, the midwife will be considered non-compliant with the Professional Development Portfolio if they remain unable to meet the requirements.