Access to the Midwifery Profession in Ontario

The following information was updated in collaboration with the Labour Market Integration Unit, Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration in May 2007. Requirements may have changed by the time you apply. Please contact the College of Midwives of Ontario before you complete your application.

Copyright in this career map is held jointly by the Queen's Printer for Ontario and the College of Midwives of Ontario, ©, 2007. This career map may be used or reproduced by any third party for non-commercial, not-for-profit purposes, provided that no fee, payment or royalty of any kind shall be charged by the third party for any further use or reproduction of the career map by any person. Any proposed commercial or for-profit use or reproduction of this career map requires a written license from the Queen's Printer for Ontario and the College of Midwives of Ontario.

Midwives in Ontario are regulated by the College of Midwives of Ontario (the College). You cannot practice midwifery, call yourself a 'midwife' or hold yourself out to be such unless you are registered with the College.

Midwives in Ontario are primary caregivers. As such, they hold full legal responsibility for their clients and are not supervised by a physician or obstetrician. Midwives in Ontario never work in only one area of client care, such as prenatal or intrapartum care. They are required to provide full service to their clients in all trimesters, throughout labour and birth and for six weeks postpartum. Under normal circumstances, a midwifery client and her newborn do not see any other health care practitioner during this time.

All midwives must attend both home and hospital births. Midwives are required to hold admitting privileges in at least one hospital and to attend a minimum number of both home and hospital births per year in order to maintain their registration.

Midwives in Ontario work as independent practitioners in group practices that are funded by the provincial Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. They are not salaried employees of hospitals, health centres or clinics and do not work shifts. Midwifery practices provide 24 hour on-call service to their clients. This means that every midwife works on call for set periods of time and while on call must be available 24 hours a day.

ELIGIBILITY FOR REGISTRATION AS A MIDWIFE IN ONTARIO

To be eligible for registration with the College of Midwives of Ontario you must:

1. Be a graduate of the Ontario Midwifery Education Program (MEP), be a graduate of the International Midwifery Pre-registration Program (IMPP) or be a general registrant in another province of Canada.
   1. The Ontario Midwifery Education Program (MEP) is a four-year, baccalaureate degree offered at three Ontario universities. For information on the MEP, contact Ryerson University at www.ryerson.ca, Laurentian University at www.laurentian.ca or McMaster University at www.mcmaster.ca.
   2. The International Midwifery Pre-Registration Program (IMPP) is a one-year bridging program offered at Ryerson University. It is designed to offer assessment and upgrading to internationally trained midwives, in order to ensure that they meet the required standards to practice in Ontario. For information on the program, contact www.ryerson.ca/ce/midwife.
   3. Midwives who are general registrants in another province of Canada where midwifery is regulated may be eligible for reciprocity registration. Please contact the College for more information.
2. Be currently certified in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Obstetrical Emergency Skills (ES), and Neonatal Resuscitation (NRP)
   1. CPR and ES certification must be within the previous 24 months, NRP certification must be within the previous 12 months. The standard for NRP is the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the standard for CPR is BasicLife Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers and standard for ES is the Association of Ontario Midwives' ES workshop, ALARM, ALSO or MORE OB.
3. Have demonstrated proficiency in either French or English
   1. Proficiency in either French or English is demonstrated by one of the following: having obtained a midwifery degree in Canada; being registered in another province of Canada in which midwifery is regulated; or passing the Ontario Midwifery Language Proficiency Test (MLPT). The International Midwifery Pre-Registration Program administers the MLPT. For information on the test, please visit www.ryerson.ca/ce/midwife.
4. Be legally entitled to work as a midwife in Canada
   1. In order to demonstrate entitlement to work in Canada, proof of one of the following is required: Canadian citizenship, landed immigrant status, or an open employment authorization.
5. Hold membership with the Association of Ontario Midwives (AOM).
6. Have arranged professional liability insurance.
   1. Professional liability insurance is arranged for each midwife through the Association of Ontario Midwives (AOM).

Registration Regulation

Registration Regulation, May 2011

Classes of Registration

There are three classes of registration with the College of Midwives of Ontario:
General, Supervised and Student.

Note that an amendment to the Registration Regulation that eliminates the Student class has been proposed, and that the College no longer registers individuals in the Student class.

General

Registrants in the General class practice with no restrictions on their registration.

Note that graduates of the Ontario Midwifery Education Program (MEP) are registered in the General class and that conditions are placed on their registration. The conditions imposed on their registration are those of the College's New Registrant's Policy. This policy states that for the first year of practice, all new registrants must practice within an established Ontario practice, must work full time and must attend births with an experienced midwife. Other than these conditions, the new registrant is like any other midwife in the province, and provides the full scope of midwifery care. Once the conditions of this policy have been met, the conditions are removed from the member's registration.

Supervised

Graduates of the International Midwifery Pre-Registration Program (IMPP) are registered in the Supervised class. The supervision is imposed in order to enable the supervised midwife to meet the clinical birth numbers required by the College's Registration Regulation, as well as to make up any gaps in clinical skills identified during the International Midwifery Pre-Registration Program. Supervised midwives are fully registered members of the College and provide the full scope of midwifery care to their clients. They are paid at the same rate as all other new registrants. Supervision will typically last anywhere from 6-12 months. Each supervised midwife has an individualized supervision plan prepared by the College prior to registration. Once the supervision plan is complete, the member's registration class is changed to General either with or without conditions, depending on whether the midwife is still in her new registrant's year. A supervised certificate may only be issued for twelve months or less.

REGISTRATION APPLICATION PROCESS

STEP 1 - Submission of Application

Application forms are provided to students of the Midwifery Education Program and the International Midwifery Pre-Registration Program as part of the course materials. Midwives who wish to apply under reciprocity from another Canadian province should contact the College for an application form.

The completed application form is submitted to the College along with the following:

• For Midwifery Education Program (MEP) graduates; a transcript and clinical record, proof of current certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Obstetrical Emergency Skills (ES) and Neonatal Resuscitation (NRP), proof of ability to work in Canada, photo id, 2 passport photos, post-dated cheques to cover registration fees.
• For International Midwifery Pre-Registration Program (IMPP) graduates; a copy of the IMPP final report and clerkship requirement form, proof of a passing grade in the Ontario Midwifery Language Proficiency Test (MLPT), proof of current certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Obstetrical Emergency Skills (ES) and Neonatal Resuscitation (NRP), proof of ability to work in Canada, photo id, 2 passport photos, post-dated cheques to cover registration fees.
• For applicants who are a general registrant in another province of Canada; a Letter of Professional Standing from their regulatory body, proof of current certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Obstetrical Emergency Skills (ES) and Neonatal Resuscitation (NRP), proof of ability to work in Canada, photo id, 2 passport photos, post-dated cheques to cover registration fees.

STEP 2 - Review of application

Applications are reviewed in order to determine completeness. Once an application has been reviewed, the applicant will be contacted and informed of any missing information or documentation.

STEP 2 a) - Supervision Plan - For IMPP graduates only

When an application for an International Midwifery Pre-Registration Program (IMPP) graduate is received, the College prepares an individual supervision plan for the applicant. This plan will address both clinical number deficiencies and any gaps in clinical skills identified by the IMPP. In the plan, a supervising midwife will be designated. Both the applicant and all members of the practice she will be working with during her supervision must sign this supervision plan. The IMPP graduate's application is not complete until the College receives the signed supervision plan.

STEP 3 - Verification of AOM membership and insurance status

Once the application is complete, the College will contact the Association of Ontario Midwives to verify that the applicant is a member of that organization and that the applicant's liability insurance has been arranged.

STEP 4 - Registration

Upon receipt of verification from the Association of Ontario Midwives of both membership and insurance, the College will issue the registration number and process the registration documents. The new member may now begin providing midwifery services.

Timeline for Processing Registration Applications

All registration applications regardless of route of entry will be processed according to the same
timelines.

Total processing time: 4 weeks maximum:

1. Within 7 business days, the applicant is notified of receipt of the registration application.

2. Within 14 business days, the Registrar or Deputy Registrar will determine if an application
needs to be referred to a Registration Committee Panel. The applicant is notified in writing of
the referral, the reasons for the referral and the process. The Panel issues a written decision to
the applicant within 30 business days of the Panel meeting.

3. Within 14 business days, the Registration Administrator reviews the application to determine
that it is complete and that all supporting documents are acceptable. The applicant is notified in
writing whether the application is complete or incomplete.

4. Within 4 weeks, an applicant with a complete registration application (other than one referred
to a Panel of the Registration Committee) is registered. Applicant is advised in writing within
24 hours of their successful registration.

5. Newly registered members are sent New Member materials.

To review the Processing Registration Applications Policy, click here.

LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION

Demand for midwifery services is high across the province. Ontario's Ministry of Health and Long Term Care allocates the funding for midwifery practices. While there is no guarantee of immediate employment, generally new registrants are able to find work. You may need to relocate to a community where a midwifery practice has an opening for a midwife. Midwives may work full-time or part-time, although they must work full-time for their first year of registration. Currently, there are over 300 midwives working in Ontario, with approximately 40 new registrants joining the profession each year.

COLLEGE FEES (in Canadian dollars):

Note: In your first year of practice, college fees will be pro-rated.

ADDITIONAL FEES:

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For further information about applying to register as a midwife in Ontario, please contact:

Registration Administrator
College of Midwives of Ontario
55 St. Clair Avenue West, PO Box 27
Toronto, Ontario M4V 2Y7
CANADA

Tel: 416-327-3915
Fax: 416-327-8219
Email: regadmin@cmo.on.ca
Website: www.cmo.on.ca

To contact French speaking staff at the CMO, please contact:

College of Midwives of Ontario
55 St. Clair Avenue West, PO Box 27
Toronto, Ontario M4V 2Y7
CANADA

Tel: 416-327-0874, press '0'
Fax: 416-327-8219
Email: admin@cmo.on.ca
Website: www.cmo.on.ca

For information about the International Midwifery Pre-registration Program (IMPP) or the Midwifery Language Proficiency Test (MPLT), please contact:

Alison Gaul, Program Administrator
International Midwifery Pre-registration Program
Ryerson University
87 Gerrard Street East, 3rd floor, EPH300
Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3
CANADA

Tel: 416-979-5000, ext. 7681
Email: agaul@ryerson.ca
Website: www.ryerson.ca/ce/midwife

For information about professional liability insurance, please contact:

Association of Ontario Midwives
365 Bloor St E, Suite 301
Toronto, ON M4W 3L4
Telephone: (416) 425-9974
Toll free: (866) 418-3773                   Fax: (416) 425-6905

Email: admin@aom.on.ca
Website: www.aom.on.ca

For a government contact about accessing health related professions in Ontario, please contact:

HealthForceOntario
Access Centre for Internationally
Educated Professionals
Ryerson University
285 Victoria Street, 7th floor
Toronto, ON M5B 1W1
CANADA

Tel: 416-314-4409 or 1-800-596-4046
TTY: 416-598-5964
Fax: 416-598-5968
Email: accesscentre@healthforceontario.ca
Website: www.healthforceontario.ca

For more information about the Midwifery Education Programme, a Bachelor of Science program available at three Ontario universities, please contact:

Midwifery Education Program
McMaster University
1200 Main St. W., MDCL 3103
Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5
CANADA

Tel: 905-525-9140, ext. 26654
Fax: 905-523-6459
Website: www.fhs.mcmaster.ca/midwifery

For information about the allocation of midwifery services across Ontario, contact the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The address is:

Coordinator
Ontario Midwifery Program
Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
393 University Avenue, Suite 2100
Toronto, Ontario M5G 1E6
CANADA

Tel: 416-327- 7540
Fax: 416-327-7550

For information on where and how to get help with settlement in Ontario: Visit www.settlement.org, or contact:

Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI)
110 Eglinton Avenue West, Suite 200
Toronto, Ontario M4R 1A3
CANADA

Tel. 416-322-4950
Fax: 416-322-8084
E-mail: generalmail@ocasi.org
Website: www.ocasi.org

Copyright in this career map is held jointly by the Queen's Printer for Ontario and the College of Midwives of Ontario, ©, 2007.

REGISTRATION PROCESS

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