The BCCNM board on Feb. 26, 2026, approved new Certified Midwives practice standards for midwives who hold certification with BCCNM. This was previously known as specialized practice—under the
Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA), it will now be known as certification, and midwives will be able to use the title “certified".
- What's changing
To support a consistent and modern approach to certification across nursing and midwifery, BCCNM has:
Rescinded
- The existing
Midwives Specialized Practice Frameworks
Approved
and
- Policy on Additional Currency Requirements for Certified Licensees
- About the new standards
These new practice standards set out the standards, limits, and conditions for midwives who are certified by BCCNM to perform restricted activities within eight certification programs and replace the former “specialized practice" frameworks. The quality assurance content previously included in the frameworks has been moved into a standalone policy. The competencies previously included in the frameworks will be added to the entry-level competencies
webpage. Any questions related to the competencies can be sent to
epr@bccnm.ca.
The standards reflect updates in the
Nurses and Midwives Regulation, including:
- removal of the former three‑month postpartum limit on contraceptive services; and
- authorization for certified midwives to insert intrauterine devices.
These changes improve alignment with current midwifery practice and support client choice and access to care closer to home.
- Why this change was made
Under the HPOA and the new NMR, certification continues to be the mechanism that authorizes midwives to perform certain restricted activities beyond entry‑level scope of practice. The term "specialized practice" is no longer used in regulation; instead, the regulations refer to
certification and
certified midwives.
These updates were made to:
- align midwifery certification with the language and structure of the HPOA and NMR;
- harmonize BCCNM's approach to certification for midwives and nurses;
- ensure certification requirements are clearly set out in
practice standards, as required under the HPOA; and
- improve clarity and consistency across BCCNM practice standards.
- Quality assurance and currency requirements
New requirements for maintaining certification include:
- demonstrating currency of practice;
- maintaining recent and relevant clinical experience; and
- engaging in ongoing learning related to the certification area.
These requirements are consistent with expectations for certified nurses and complement BCCNM's Quality Assurance program. More information will be posted in the QA section of the website in the coming weeks.
- Use of title
Under BCCNM's draft HPOA bylaws, certified midwives may use the titles:
-
certified midwife
-
midwife (certified)
-
RM(C)
Certified midwives may also choose to identify their specific certification program (for example,
Hormonal Contraceptive Certified. These title provisions are included in the new practice standards.
- Indigenous cultural safety and care closer to home
The new standards support culturally safe care and will be applied alongside BCCNM's
Indigenous Cultural Safety, Cultural Humility and Anti‑Racism practice standard.
Updates to certified scope—such as expanded contraceptive services and intrauterine contraception insertion—support client choice and may reduce the need for travel to access care. This is particularly important for Indigenous families and aligns with efforts to provide care closer to home and within community.