A midwife is a licensed professional who provides primary care to clients and babies during pregnancy, labour, birth, and the postpartum period. As primary care providers, midwives may be the first point of entry to perinatal services and are fully responsible for clinical decisions and the management of care within their
scope of practice. A midwife completes a
four-year university program that covers a wide variety of subjects related to midwifery, ethics, and clinical skills. After graduating, and before being granted
practising registration with the BC College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM), a
national exam must be completed.
In B.C., only midwives who are registered with BCCNM can call themselves "midwives" or "registered midwives." To learn more about midwifery, visit the
Midwives Association of BC.