Canadian Midwifery Regulators Council
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The Canadian Competencies for Midwives outline the knowledge, skills and abilities expected of entry-level midwives in Canada. Entry-level midwives are defined as those who have been assessed as eligible to start practicing in Canada, after they meet provincial/ territorial requirements, in the full scope of practice and without supervision requirements on their registration. This document delineates the essential competencies that are the foundation of midwifery practice, and which all midwives must possess when they begin to practise.
The framework of midwifery competencies is organized around seven midwife roles: Primary Care Provider, Advocate, Communicator, Collaborator, Professional, Life-long Learner and Leader. The integration of the seven roles enables the entry-level midwife to provide safe, competent, ethical, compassionate and evidence-informed midwifery care to diverse populations in any practice setting. The seven roles are clarified and defined by 80 key competencies. There is a companion document which provides more detail regarding the Primary Care Provider competencies.
A robust methodology based on industry best practices was used to develop the competencies. The Canadian Midwifery Regulators Council (CMRC) established a national steering committee comprised of regulators, educators and clinicians. The committee worked from October 2019 to August 2020 to guide the overall revision process, to coordinate the environmental scan and literature review and to generate content. A subject matter expert panel was also involved. The draft set of competencies was validated via a national survey of practicing midwives, educators and other stakeholders. Survey results were reviewed and final changes were made.
The Canadian Competencies for Midwives is compatible with provincial/territorial competency statements; however, it may not replace them. Provincial/territorial midwifery regulators are the ultimate source of information about what a midwife is expected to know and do in any specific province or territory. Moreover, some additional competencies and skill requirements can be found in provincial and territorial competency documents.