UBC Program Offers Path for Internationally Trained Midwives to Work in BC

Source: BC News Release via Academica | January 16, 2015

A new program at UBC will pave the way for internationally trained midwives to be granted licenses to work in British Columbia. The program, which will complement UBC’s existing 4-year midwifery undergraduate degree program, will launch as a pilot with 4 students this spring, with plans to accept 8 first-year students by January 2016. The program will be tailored for each student in order to recognize individuals’ diverse experience and training. After completing the program, students will be eligible to sit the Canadian Midwifery Registration Examination to apply for licensure from the College of Midwives of BC. BC will provide $680,000 in support of the program. “This program, combined with the doubling of enrolment in our 4-year bachelor’s program, will help UBC fill the province’s growing need for qualified midwives by providing an additional pathway to licensure,” said Michelle Butler, Director of UBC’s midwifery program. She also noted that the program will help diversify the profession to reflect BC’s immigrant and second-generation communities.