College of Midwives of Ontario

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Registration Policy for Qualifications Equivalent to an Ontario Midwifery Education

Purpose

This policy defines qualifications that are equivalent to an Ontario midwifery education program for the purpose of meeting the registration requirements in the Registration Regulation (Ontario Regulation 168/11, made under the Midwifery Act, 1991). It delineates a registration pathway for eligible applicants to enter the profession, while maintaining a commitment to safeguarding the public interest.

This policy focuses on clarifying the requirements laid out in paragraphs 1 and 2 of section 8(1) and section 8(4) — mainly, the educational requirements, and the clinical experience requirements. Applicants must meet all other non-exemptible registration requirements to be eligible for a certificate of registration.

Scope

This policy applies to the following groups:

  1. Internationally educated midwife applicants who successfully completed one of these programs:
  2. International Midwifery Preregistration Program, by the Chang School of Continuing Education
  3. Orientation and Assessment Program, by the College of Midwives of Ontario
  4. International Midwifery Preregistration Bridging Program, by the Chang School of Continuing Education.
  5. Applicants who are graduates of a Canadian baccalaureate degree in midwifery not explicitly covered in the Registration Regulation.

Definitions

Birth Attendance                                                      

To be acceptable, births must be completed as part of the program that is identified in the policy Scope.

Continuity Requirements 

For the purpose of Plans for Supervised Practice and Evaluation, continuity of care includes care in the prenatal period, labour, birth, and the postpartum period. To meet the continuity requirements, the applicant must attend the birth and a minimum of five visits, including at least one prenatal visit and at least one postpartum visit. Prenatal and postpartum visits should occur in a variety of settings including clinic, home, and hospital, and at various times (for example, second and third trimester, first week postpartum). 

Primary Midwife

A primary midwife means a midwife who assumes sole responsibility for the care of a client in the intrapartum period, or, while working with another midwife or a small group of midwives, assumes primary responsibility for the care of a client in the intrapartum period.

Policy Statement

The Registration Regulation only outlines a clear registration pathway for applicants who completed an Ontario midwifery education program and applicants who hold an active registration as a midwife in another Canadian jurisdiction.

This policy establishes a registration pathway into the profession for those applicants whose educational and professional qualifications are not explicitly defined in the Registration Regulation. This pathway must adhere to the core principles of transparency, objectivity, impartiality, and fairness. Simultaneously, the College is obligated to fulfill its primary duty to protect the public.

  1. Education Requirements

To satisfy the education requirements, this policy recognizes the following groups as having qualifications that are equivalent to the degree referred to in the Registration Regulation in accordance with section 8.(1)1.iii:

  • Applicants who successfully completed the College’s Orientation and Assessment Program
  • Applicants who successfully completed the International Midwifery Pre-Registration Bridging program delivered by Toronto Metropolitan University
  • Applicants who successfully completed the International Midwifery Preregistration Program, previously delivered by Toronto Metropolitan University.
  • Applicants who hold a baccalaureate degree in midwifery accredited by the CAMEd Accreditation Council. To be acceptable, the exact program completed by the applicant must have been accredited in its entirety (from the start of the program to the time the degree was conferred).
  • Applicants who hold a baccalaureate degree in midwifery accredited by the Indigenous Advanced Education and Skills Council. To be acceptable, the exact program completed by the applicant must have been accredited in its entirety (from the start of the program to the time the degree was conferred).
  • Clinical Experience Requirement

In addition to the educational requirement, applicants who seek registration under this pathway must provide proof of clinical experience. Section 8(4)(c) of the Registration Regulation empowers the Registration Committee to set out how these requirements can be satisfied.

Consequently, the clinical experience must meet the minimum birth numbers:

  • the applicant has attended at least 40 births as a primary midwife, of which at least,
    • 10 were attended as part of the care provided to a person in accordance with the principles of continuity of care,
    • 10 were attended in hospital, and
    • 5 were attended in a residence, a remote clinic, or a remote birth center;

Applicants must also meet the currency requirement as stipulated in the Registration Regulation.

In the event of a shortfall, the applicant will be referred to a panel of the Registration Committee under section 15(2) of the Health Professions Procedural Code. The panel may order that a supervised practice certificate be issued under section 18(2) along with a plan for Supervised Practice and Evaluation, in accordance with subsection 13 of the Registration Regulation.

References (Legislative and Other)

  • Registration Regulation, Ontario Regulation 168/11, made under the Midwifery Act, 1991
  • Schedule 2, Health Professions Procedural Code, made under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991

Approved by: Registration Committee

Approval Date: February 5, 2024

Implementation Date: March 26, 2024

Last reviewed and revised: May 13, 2026