My mother-in-law just sent me a link to this article, Calgary college plans midwifery degree. There will finally be another four-year midwifery degree program in Canada by as early as 2010! This is much-needed, as there are currently only six midwifery education programs in the entire country. In addition, demand for midwives vastly outnumbers supply, so many Canadian women wanting midwifery care are unable to access it. The degree program will be offered through Mount Royal College in Calgary, Alberta.
Canadian midwives are required to obtain a university-level degree in midwifery. In provinces where they are legally recognized, they attend births at the location the woman chooses (home or hospital or, if available, freestanding birth centers). For more information on midwifery in Canada, visit the Canadian Association of Midwives.
It seems to me a midwife in Canada would be equivalent to a CNM in the US. Is there any equivalent to a CPM in Canada that you know of?
ReplyDeleteI am Canadian, though I live in Texas now, and my relatives all tell me that they don't have the option of midwifery there. I wonder sometimes if they just prefer the hospital/OB setting, and so they haven't looked into it.
Although it's fantastic that there is a new program opening up, these midwives won't have jobs unless the hospitals start granting more priviledges.
ReplyDeletemidwives can't practice without hospital priviledges. In the last six months, women were turned away from our local community hospital because they were at their max number of births that month! They were sent two hours away to Winchester and Kingston, where their midwives have no priviledges, therefore unable to attend their clients.
There is still much work to be done here in ottawa.
erin
That is most excellent. Does Canada have as much trouble with medical litigation as the USA?
ReplyDeleteThe Alberta midwives have full hospital privleges. As of April 1st2009, midwifery care is fully funded by the provincial government.
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