Program Overview

Program Overview

The UBC Bachelor of Midwifery degree (BMw) prepares students to perform essential midwifery skills after graduation. The curriculum is built around the Competencies of Registered Midwives published by the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) and prepares graduates to write the Canadian Midwifery Registration Examination (CMRE).

Program Structure

• All Midwifery courses with the prefix MIDW are restricted to students registered in the Midwifery Program. Only MIDW 326 is open to students outside of the Midwifery Program.
• Candidates must complete two prerequisite courses, BIOL 155 (Human Biology) and WRDS 150 – Writing and Research in the Disciplines (Formerly ENGL 112 – Strategies for University Writing).
• All courses are available in classrooms in Vancouver at BC Women’s Hospital, Victoria at Victoria General Hospital, and Surrey at Surrey Memorial Hospital. Students are assigned to one of these three cohorts upon admission.
• During the first year, students may apply to study via video-conferencing (Zoom) through the Distributed Option in Midwifery Education (DOME). DOME students will travel to Vancouver three times in Year 1 for in-person orientation and intensive clinical skills training.
• All students are able to participate in coursework by video-conferencing during years 2, 3, and 4 when students are in clinical placements around British Columbia.
• Students will be required to complete a number of clinical placements in Years Two, Three, and Four. Placements will be located around the province, and students will be required to move for at least some of their placements.

Required Courses

All students enrolled in the Midwifery Program are required to take the following courses for graduation. There are no elective requirements.

Year One

• Term One:
  • MIDW_V 102 (3) Birth and its Meanings: An interdisciplinary study of pregnancy and childbirth drawing on and integrating the disciplines of psychology, sociology, anthropology, women’s studies, and cultural studies.
  • MIDW_V 103 (3) Applied Health Sciences for Maternity Providers: Introduction to diagnostics related to cellular and humoral immune responses in pregnant women and newborns, the properties of viruses, epidemiology, the principles of bacterial pathogenesis, and related physiologic responses.
  • MIDW_V 104 (3) Lactation and Infant Feeding for Maternity Care Providers: Breastfeeding physiology, pathophysiology, and strategies for support of the dyad based on best-practice principles. Discussion of major Canadian and international initiatives for the support and protection of breastfeeding.
  • MIDW_V 106 (3) Reproductive Anatomy and Physiology: Physiology of conception, pregnancy, lactation, fetal growth, labour, birth, transition to extra-uterine life, postpartum. A series of lectures and lab sessions.
  • MIDW_V 107 (3) Physical Assessment: Principles of physical assessment, physical and psychological assessment of the mother and neonate. A series of lectures and clinical lab sessions.
• Term Two:
  • MIDW_V 101 (3) Counselling for Maternity Care Providers: Theory, knowledge, strategies, and skills of person-centred counselling, including family systems, trauma theory, grief counselling, motivational interviewing skills, self-awareness and mindfulness, inter-professional communication, and cultural competency in continuity of care.
  • MIDW_V 108 (5) Theoretical Foundations for Midwifery Practice: Scope of practice of a midwife, regulatory framework, and skills for basic midwifery practice. A series of lectures and clinical lab sessions.
  • MIDW_V 115 (3) Research Methods for Midwives: Research designs used in midwifery research, types of studies reported in the midwifery and health care literature, research methodology and basic principles of epidemiology, biostatistics and social research.
  • MIDW_V 120 (3) Midwifery and Social Justice: Explores a variety of social justice frameworks and issues that arise in midwifery care, and engages students as active participants in knowledge-production.
  • MIDW_V 125 (3) Pharmacology for Maternity Care Providers: An overview of basic concepts in pharmacology, pharmacy, and therapeutics relevant to the practice of midwifery in Canada.

Year Two

• Term One:
  • MIDW_V 200 (6) Midwifery Clinical Care - Antepartum, Postpartum and Newborn: Clinical care of women experiencing normal pregnancy, labour, birth, and puerperium. Clinical education experiences in preventative and therapeutic midwifery care with emphasis on prenatal and postnatal midwifery care.
  • MIDW_V 201 (9) Midwifery Theory for Antepartum, Postpartum, and Newborn Care: Online situation-based learning tutorials occurring simultaneously with MIDW 200 clinical placement.
  • MIDW_V 210 (3) Evidence-Informed Midwifery: Principles of evidence-informed midwifery, what counts as evidence? Making sense of the evidence, applying the evidence in practice.
• Term Two:
  • MIDW_V 215 (1) Ethics in Midwifery Care: Ethics using ethical theory in health care and midwifery.
  • MIDW_V 230 (6) Midwifery Theory for Primary Care: Care of normal pregnancy, labour, birth, and puerperium with an emphasis on the intrapartum period and assessment and management skills.
  • MIDW_V 240 (9) Midwifery Clinical Care - Intrapartum and Postpartum: Clinical education experiences with the preventative and therapeutic midwifery care of normal pregnancy, labour, birth, and puerperium with an emphasis on the intrapartum period and assessment and management skills.

Year Three

• Term One:
  • MIDW_V 305 (6) Midwifery Theory for Variations in Primary Care: Theoretical principles of care for pregnancy, birth, and the puerperium with an emphasis on the recognition and management of variations of normal and findings outside of normal.
  • MIDW_V 320 (11) Midwifery Clinical Care - Variations of Normal: Clinical education experiences with the preventative and therapeutic midwifery care of pregnancy, birth, and the puerperium. Emphasis on the recognition and management of variations of normal and findings outside normal.
  • MIDW_V 326 (2) Dialogue and Decisions: Advancing Person-Centred Care: In the introductory module, Person-Centred Care, learners from different professions will explore how a culture of dialogue and choice facilitates healthy outcomes across birth settings.
• Term Two:
  • MIDW_V 322 (8) Midwifery Primary Care Clinical: A clinical course focusing on the consolidation of skills and knowledge of all aspects of midwifery care.
  • MIDW_V 326 (2) Dialogue and Decisions: Advancing Person-Centred Care: In the introductory module, Person-Centred Care, learners from different professions will explore how a culture of dialogue and choice facilitates healthy outcomes across birth settings.
  • MIDW_V 328 (3) Professionalism in Community-Based Care: Prepares students for interprofessional and community-based placements. Professionalism and principles of community health and healthcare in rural and remote, Indigenous communities, and global health contexts.

Year Four

• Term One:
  • MIDW_V 405 (3) Theory for Advanced Midwifery Care: Theoretical principles for midwifery care of pregnancy, labour, birth, newborns, and the puerperium. Emphasis on assessment and management skills for abnormal situations.
  • MIDW_V 420 (12) Midwifery Clinical Care - Abnormal and Unexpected Conditions: Clinical education for midwifery care of pregnancy, birth, and the puerperium with an emphasis on abnormal situations in pregnancy, labour and birth, and in newborns.
• Term Two:
  • MIDW_V 435 (4) Comprehensive Midwifery Theory and Practice: In-depth review of the theoretical principles and evidence basis for comprehensive midwifery care.
  • MIDW_V 440 (13) Clinical Clerkship: Students assume a primary care role in clinical placements in midwifery practices across the provinces. Demonstration of independent decision making and application of the full range of their academic knowledge to professional practice.

UBC Health Integrated Curriculum

In addition to the required courses, Midwifery students are required to complete the UBC Health Integrated Curriculum, alongside their student colleagues in other health disciplines. The Integrated Curriculum is made up of a series of modules and workshops which are embedded into required courses in Years 1 and 2 of the Program. The National Interprofessional Competency Framework, developed by the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative, was used as a foundation for the development of the Integrated Curriculum. The goal of the Integrated Curriculum is to ensure that all health professional students at UBC build each of the six competency domains: Interprofessional Communication; Patient-Centred Care; Role Clarification; Team Functioning; Conflict Management; and Collaborative Leadership.