Practice hours for midwives:
under review
Please note that BCCNM is currently reviewing these requirements. More information will be shared as it becomes available.
BCCNM uses practice hours as an indication of an applicant’s or renewing licensee's continued ability to practise safely and competently in the constantly evolving health care environment. BCCNM considers both currency and recency of practice and total number of hours practised within each period of time.
Requirement
To meet the practice hours requirement, midwives must practise:
At least 300 hours in the year preceding renewal, with a minimum of 100 hours in clinical practice
OR
A minimum of 900 hours total in the three years preceding renewal, with a minimum of 300 hours in clinical practice
All currently practicing or provisional midwives have until March 31, 2029, to meet the 900 hours required.
- Alternative ways to meet the practice hours requirement
-
- Reinstatement applicants must either meet practice hours, OR until March 31, 2029, demonstrate currency of practice by reporting any births attended, as a primary midwife, while licensed in a Canadian jurisdiction and within three years of their reinstatement application.
- Successful completion of a
supervised practice experience approved by BCCNM.
- Applicants who are not able to meet any of the above can complete a supervised practice experience (licensing process) or re-take an entire midwifery program.
Reporting and record keeping
Practising midwives self-report their practice hours annually during registration renewal. Licensees may be asked to provide records and/or evidence of practice hours in the event of an audit by BCCNM.
Counting practice hours
- What to count
- The majority of practice hours should be completed through paid employment (including self-employment) in a midwife role in clinical practice, education, administration, or research. To be eligible to count, hours must:
- Be completed when you are authorized to practice as a midwife
- Fall within the Scope of Practice for midwives; and
- Be completed according to the
standards of practice for midwives
Supplemental hours
You can supplement practice hours completed through employment with:
- Professional development activities, such as structured education (e.g., a workshop, course, or program of study) undertaken as part of your midwife practice
- Regulatory college or midwifery association work
- Volunteer midwife hours can be counted if you are able to provide satisfactory evidence that the volunteer work completed meets the BCCNM Standards of Practice.
- Do not count
You cannot use the following toward meeting the practice hours requirement:
- Time absent from work for reasons such as sickness, vacation, maternity, education, disability, or another type of leave;
- Hours worked in a role that does not require midwife licensure (e.g., care aide, housekeeper, dietary aide, emergency medication technician, doula)
- On-call hours (but not actually working);
- Hours working in a job predominantly selling products;
- Time spent caring for family members or friends/neighbours outside a professional environment and beyond the scope of client-midwife relationship; or
- Time spent in a learning capacity (e.g., a course or certificate program) that is not directly related to midwifery practice.