Be prepared, a good motto whether you're a scout or not. Part of preparing for a career in midwifery is to understand the structure of the midwifery model of care where you want to practice and what will be expected of you as a practitioner.

Midwives in British Columbia, as well as most other provinces in Canada, work as independent practitioners. This means they are registered with a provincial regulatory body and in most cases are paid on a bill for service model through their provincial ministry of health. They are responsible for the running of their own business, for managing their own clinics, be that through the hiring of office support staff or personally, and for maintaining their own client load.

As midwives are not employees of a hospital or health region, they do not work in shifts but instead are on call to their clients 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Many midwives practice in a team of 2 or 3 and therefore time off call can be scheduled by taking turns with practice partners. For midwives in solo practices locum coverage must be found in order to ensure continuous client care is provided. This is often the case for rural practitioners who may not have local coverage available.

In BC Midwives provide primary care to women from the first trimester through to labour and birth, and provide mother and newborn care until about 6 weeks postpartum. They offer the women in their care a choice of birthing at home or at the hospitals where they hold privileges.

Currently midwives can bill for up to 60 courses of care annually, although 40 courses of care a year is considered a very full-time practice. The full amount for a course of care that a midwife can bill for is approximately $3000.00. Aspiring midwives should note that all expenses including fees related to maintaining regulatory requirements and membership within the midwives association, obtaining malpractice liability insurance, and general comprehensive insurance all come out of those billings.

It is wise to speak with midwives in the area you wish to practice in. There are cases where hospitals have reached their privileging threshold and you may not be able to obtain privileges and thus will not be able to practice in that area. It is a good idea to prepare for the possibility of relocating once you are practicing and also while you are being preceptored during your midwifery education.

For more details on the model of care in BC please see the CMBC's document entitled "Exploring Midwifery as a Career"

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There are many routes to becoming a midwife. Below are a few examples of the Canadian education programs available. Please note that any education program you are interested in should be discussed with the College of Midwives of BC if you wish to practice in BC after graduation.

If you are already a midwifery student and would like to become a student member of the MABC click here.

If you are a midwife who was educated outside of Canada click here for information on registering to practice in BC.

Why Become a Student Member of the MABC?

As a midwifery student of any program you may apply for student membership with the MABC. Getting involved with the MABC offers many benefits for midwifery students:

Listserv access
This provides you with access to the membership community, allows you to participate in clinical discussions and view the latest research posted by other members, and it gives you special access to locum/mentorship opportunities posted on our website by other members.

Membership with Canadian Association of Midwives
Student MABC members regularly receive the Canadian Journal of Midwifery Research and Practice. You are also added to their mailing list to receive news, updates and invites to their conferences and special events.

Chance to volunteer for events
Regular volunteer opportunities with Emergency Skills Workshops allow students a chance to see emergency skills in action while "acting" as a client and learning the latest in emergency relevant research. In addition, MABC student members are invited each year to the CAM conference. In exchange for a shift of volunteering, portions of the conference may be free of charge.

Board and Committee Work
Connect with potential preceptors or practice partners and enjoy socializing with many of BC's Registered Midwives at our Annual General Meeting held every May.

MABC meeting attendance
Connect with potential preceptors or practice partners and enjoy socializing with many of BC's Registered Midwives at our Annual General Meeting held every May.

Registering to Practice Midwifery in BC
All midwives in BC must be registered with the College of Midwives of BC, in order to practice. The following information will guide you in applying for registration as well as applying for MABC membership:

New Graduates from an Approved Program (Canada), please visit: http://www.cmbc.bc.ca/MENU-Registration.shtml

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All BC midwives are required to register with the College of Midwives of BC. Please see their website for more information on what is involved in this process.

All internationally-educated midwives (IEMs) who want to register to practice in BC must complete the Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Program (MMBP). The MMBP supports midwives who have been educated outside of Canada in making the transition to working in the Canadian health care system and in the Canadian model of midwifery. Both a seven-month program, with intensives, distance accessible components and a three month clinical placement, and an accelerated option are available.

For more information on applying to the Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Program, go to http://www.cmbc.bc.ca/MENU-Registration.shtmlThis site is being updated regularly.

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