How to become a midwife in Alberta: three routes to registration.
- Inter-provincial reciprocity. To be eligible, a midwife must have an unrestricted license from her provincial governing body and have practiced for at least one year in that capacity.
- Graduation from an approved education program. Four-year direct-entry programs leading to a university degree (see below)
- Prior learning and experience assessment (PLEA). For international trained midwives or those trained by apprenticeship or self-study. PLEA includes a portfolio assessment, an extensive national written exam and clinical and OSCEs (objective structured clinical examinations). The PLEA is being replaced by the Multi -jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging program.
- The Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Project (MMBP) is a bridging program for qualified midwives educated outside of Canada. It’s designed to help each midwife learn how to use her skills in a Canadian context. The MMBP will assist in preparing a midwife to meet the requirements for registering and practicing as a Canadian midwife. For more information on this important new program please visit the following website: www.midwiferybridging.ca
Approved Midwifery Education Programs
- Mount Royal University
- University of British Columbia: www.midwifery.ubc.ca
- Laurentian University (English and French): www.midwifery.laurentian.ca/
- McMaster University: http://www-fhs.mcmaster.ca/midwifery/
- Ryerson University: http://www.ryerson.ca/midwife/
Other Canadian Midwifery Education Opportunities
- Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
- University College of the North https://www.ucn.ca/ics/
Programs/
International Midwifery Education Programs
- In the United States: Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC) and American College of Nurse Midwives
- In New Zealand: www.midwiferycouncil.org.nz or midwife.org.nz
- In the UK: www.nhscareers.nhs.uk or www.nmas.ac.uk
- Other countries: International Confederation of Midwives
To apply for registration in Alberta contact the Registrar for a new registrants information package:
Heather Cameron Tel: (780)422-2733 Email: heather.cameron@gov.ab.ca