Applicants for registration and practising midwives must successfully complete and maintain certification in the following competency areas as outlined in the
Policy on Continuing Competencies:
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- Minimum requirements
- Completion of a course that complies with the guidelines of the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada. The course must cover the following core areas for CPR and emergency cardiac care:
- Adult cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- Pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- Two-rescuer scenarios
- Use of bag valve mask
- Management of foreign-body airway obstruction
- Use of Automated External Defibrillator (AED)
- Approved courses
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- Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada – Basic Life Support (BLS)
- Canadian Red Cross – Basic Life Support (BLS)
- American Heart Association – Basic Life Support (BLS)
- St. John Ambulance – CPR BLS & AED
- Lifesaving Society – Basic Life Support (BLS) Responder CPR/Health Care Provider (HCP) with AED
- St. Mark James Training – CPR Health Care Provider (HCP)
Not sure you've got the right course? Look for Basic Life Support (BLS) or Health Care Professional (HCP) in the course listing.
- (Re)certification requirements
-
- Provider: Annual certification. In cases where the approved course done not require or recommend annual certification, it is considered valid for a maximum of two years.
- Instructor: Proof of current CPR instructor status.
- Format: Current registrants can complete approved courses online; first-time applicants and former registrants that are reinstating their registration after more than 60 days must complete the course in-person.
Emergency skills
- Minimum requirements
- Successful completion of a course that covers emergency management in the following areas:
- Postpartum haemorrhage
- Shoulder dystocia
- Cord prolapse
- Undiagnosed breach
- Undiagnosed twins
- Fetal well-being
- Approved courses
-
- Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada – Advances in Labour and Risk Management (ALARM)
- Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada – Managing Obstetrical Risk Efficiently (MOREOB)
- Association of Ontario Midwives – Emergency Skills Workshop (ESW)
- Midwives Association of Manitoba – Emergency Skills for Midwives (ESM)
- Midwives Association of BC and University of British Columbia Continuing Professional Development – Midwives Emergency Skills Program (MESP)
- Alberta Association of Midwives – Emergency Skills Workshop (ESW)
- Any BCCNM recognized midwifery education program – Emergency Skills Course
- (Re)certification requirements
-
- Provider: Every two years.
- Instructor: Proof of current ES instructor status.
- Format: Current registrants can complete approved courses online; first-time applicants and former registrants that are reinstating their registration after more than 60 days must complete the course in-person.
Fetal Health Surveillance
- Minimum requirements
- Participation in a Canadian fetal health surveillance course, module or workshop that includes:
- A review of the fundamentals of antenatal and intrapartum fetal health surveillance
- Completion of the National Fetal Health Surveillance Online Exam (minimum passing grade 80%).
- Approved courses
-
- University of British Columbia Continuing Professional Development – Fundamentals of Fetal Health Surveillance Online Manual and Exam.
- Hospital perinatal program or BCCNM approved midwifery education program – Fundamentals of Fetal Health Surveillance course)
- Hospital perinatal program or BCCNM approved midwifery education program – Fetal Health Surveillance Refresher/Renewal
- (Re)certification requirements
-
- Provider: Every two years.
- Instructor: Proof of current FHS instructor status.
- Format: Current registrants can complete approved courses online; first-time applicants and former registrants that are reinstating their registration after more than 60 days must complete the course in-person.
Neonatal Resuscitation
- Minimum requirements
- Completion of a course that meets or exceeds the Canadian Paediatric Society’s (CPS) National Guidelines and NRP levels 1-11, with skills required for a primary care provider and as applicable within the midwifery scope of practice.
- Approved courses
- Any Canadian NRP course taught by a CPS-certified NRP instructor.
- (Re)certification requirements
-
- Provider: Annual certification
- Instructor: Proof of current NRP instructor status.
- Format: Current registrants can complete approved courses online; first-time applicants and former registrants that are reinstating their registration after more than 60 days must complete the course in-person.
Proof of certification requirements
Applicants and registrants will be required to demonstrate that they have met the continuing competencies requirement, based on the type of application.
- First-time applicant or reinstatement
- Applicants need to submit a copy of their continuing competency certificates to registermidwives@bccnm.ca.
- Where the course requires an in-person component, the certificate for this portion must be submitted to confirm validity (for example, if completing MESP you must submit the MABC issued certificate).
- BCCNM will confirm that certificates are valid and not expired prior to granting registration.
- Registration renewal (practising registrants)
- During registration renewal, practising registrants will attest to having valid certificates that are not expired as of April 1 of that year.
- Copies of certificates do not need to be submitted. Please keep proof of certification for your records as your continuing competencies may be audited.
- This also applies to applicants who are reinstating their registration within 60 days.