FAQ about MCU and Canadian Midwifery Regulation

Note: The Midwives College of Utah cannot guarantee registration in any province after completion of the MCU program. Students are responsible for researching the unique requirements of their individual province.

Status of Midwifery Regulation in Canada

For detailed Information on the status of midwifery in each province, see http://www.canadianmidwives.org. Select Midwifery in Canada, and then select your province or territory.

What are the registration requirements of provinces with regulated midwifery?

The registration requirements for provinces and territories that currently have regulated midwifery differ. The following sites offer information:

     • College of Midwives of BC    

     • Saskatchewan College of Midwives    

     • College of Midwives of Manitoba    

     • College of Midwives of Ontario    

     • Ordre des sages-femmes du Québec    

     • The Midwifery Regulatory Council of Nova Scotia

Internationally trained midwives must take part in a program to assess and ready them for Canadian practice. See http://www.canadianmidwives.org/international-midwives.html for more information.

If you are currently working on a degree program at MCU or are considering applying to MCU, what will registration look like for you?

After graduation, you will apply to a bridging or pre-registration process for your province or territory. This is how regulated provinces assess those who have not graduated from "approved" Canadian institutions.

You will complete a detailed application form with legal documentation of your education and clinical experience as well as your understanding of the midwifery model of care in your province. Whether you are accepted into the bridging/pre-registration process will depend on the overall strength of your application. Acceptance into a bridging/pre-registration process cannot be guaranteed.

For more information on the programs for internationally trained midwives in Canada, see:

     • http://ryerson.ca/ce/midwife/ (for Ontario)

     • http://midwiferybridging.ca (for all other Canadian provinces and territories with regulated midwifery)

Are there students from MCU and other US programs who have succeeded at Canadian registration?

Yes. There are students from MCU and other US programs who are currently practicing in Canada.

Is there a guarantee that I will be approved by the regulating body in my province?

There are no guarantees if you have attended a school that is not officially "approved" by the regulating body in your province.

What are the "approved" midwifery education programs in Canada?

     • Laurentian University www.midwifery.laurentian.ca    

    • McMaster University www-fhs.mcmaster.ca/midwifery    

    • Ryerson University www.ryerson.ca/midwife

    • Université du Québec à Trois Rivières www.uqtr.ca/sage-femme    

    • University of British Columbia www.midwifery.ubc.ca

     • University College of the North
https://www.ucn.ca/ics/Programs/Degree_Programs/Bachelor_of_Midwifery/

     • Nunavik Community Midwifery Education Program

     • Nunavut Midwifery Education Program
http://www.arcticcollege.ca/en/health-and-wellness-programs/item/4415-midwifery

     • Six Nations Aboriginal Midwifery Training Program http://www.snhs.ca/midBackground.htm

What are the advantages of attending MCU for Canadian students?

1. MCU offers comprehensive, MEAC (Midwives Education Accreditation Council)-approved midwifery degree programs, which can be done by a flexible distance learning program which adopts an innovative, coaching-style model.
2. MCU also offers a variety of courses not available at other midwifery schools.
3. MCU allows those who desire to study midwifery access to the opportunity.

Can I get the required clinical experience in Canada?

Under the current bylaws of most of the provincial regulating bodies (with the exception of Alberta) students attending programs other than "approved" Canadian midwifery degree programs may have difficulty fulfilling their requirements in their respective provinces or territories. MCU students will need to plan to attend a clinical site to obtain their required numbers more than once throughout their program.