Province invests in maternity care, expands UBC midwifery program
Press Release
VANCOUVER – B.C. families will have improved access to maternity care as the Province increases seats in the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) midwifery program by more than 70%.
“In recent years, there has been increasing demand for midwifery services in B.C,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “This expansion at UBC will help more people pursue a rewarding career as a midwife and, in turn, allow more people to access midwifery care during an exciting time in their lives.”
The expansion at UBC adds 20 new seats to the program, bringing the total annual intake to 48. This includes 12 new seats in the bachelor of midwifery program, bringing the total annual intake from 20 to 32, and eight new seats in the Internationally Educated Midwives Bridging Program (IEMBP), bringing the annual intake from eight to 16. The IEMBP is an eight-to-10-month program that allows internationally educated midwives to become registered to practise in B.C. and is the only program of its kind in Canada.
“For two decades, UBC has been providing people with the education and training they need to become midwives and support British Columbians as they grow their families,” said Selina Robinson, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills. “Now, even more people will be able to access this educational experience and help even more British Columbians. This seat increase for the midwifery program is part of our Future Ready plan, which is preparing people for the jobs of today and tomorrow by expanding access to post-secondary education and skills training.”
Four of the bachelor of midwifery seats were added in September 2022 and the remaining eight seats are being added in September 2023. The IEMBP seats were added in January 2022.
UBC’s midwifery program supports Indigenous learners in its admissions process and by incorporating cultural learning experiences and mentorship provided by Indigenous midwives and Elders throughout the four-year program. On average, 10% of students enrolled in the program self-identify as Indigenous.
The Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills has provided UBC with initial funding of $1.7 million to establish the additional seats and is providing $1.7 million annually, starting this year.
Creating opportunities for people to become midwives in B.C. is part of the Province’s Health Human Resources Strategy, which was announced on Sept. 29, 2022. The strategy supports patients by ensuring they get the health services they need and are cared for by a healthy workforce. It focuses on 70 key actions to recruit, train and retain health-care workers, while redesigning the health-care system to foster workplace satisfaction and innovation.
“I set out to become a midwife in order to empower families with evidence-based knowledge and culturally safe care,” said Simrat Dial, second year UBC midwifery student. “Through a combination of case-based theory and practicum experiences in communities, UBC midwifery has enabled me to bridge the gap between theory and reality and build my confidence in my skillset as I do it. Expanding UBC’s midwifery program will result in new learning opportunities for students while reducing barriers to midwifery care and the program.”
Investing in new training seats for midwifery is part of StrongerBC’s Future Ready plan. Future Ready is making education and training more accessible, affordable and relevant to help businesses grow and prepare people in B.C for the jobs of tomorrow.
Learn More:
To learn about UBC’s midwifery program, visit: https://midwifery.ubc.ca/
To learn about the Province’s Health Human Resource Strategy, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022HLTH0059-001464
To learn about StrongerBC, visit: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/health-care
Two backgrounders follow.
Contacts:
Ministry of Health
Communications
250 952-1887 (media line)
Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills
250 508-5030 (media line)
BACKGROUNDER 1
What people are saying about the new midwifery seats at UBC
Jennifer Rice, Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health –
“Midwives are critical to meeting the needs of growing families in rural, remote and First Nations communities. Midwives have always been caring for pregnant people, babies and their families in First Nations communities, but colonization and systemic racism in the health-care system have threatened this practice. Adding these new seats to the UBC midwifery program, where 10% of students self-identify as Indigenous, will help bring birth back to First Nations communities and ensure equitable access to maternity care across rural and remote regions of the province.”
Dr. Dermot Kelleher, dean of the faculty of medicine and vice-president of health, UBC –
“For 20 years, graduates of UBC’s midwifery program have been providing respectful and responsive birth care for diverse families across B.C., including rural and remote communities. Expanding midwifery education at UBC will contribute to increased access to compassionate and culturally safe care so that more British Columbians can plan and have the birth experiences that they need and want closer to home.”
Cynthia Johansen, registrar and CEO, BC College of Nurses and Midwives –
“Midwives play an integral role in our health-care system, providing primary care to clients and babies during pregnancy, labour, birth and the post-partum period. We welcome this news that more qualified midwives will be entering the health-care workforce to continue supporting British Columbians seeking midwifery care during such an important time in their lives.”
Bernice Budz, executive director, Midwives Association of British Columbia –
“Midwives in British Columbia deliver more than one-quarter of the babies born each year and demand for midwifery services continues to grow across the province. Midwives play a critical role in delivering accessible, culturally safe and effective primary maternity care. Adding these much-needed seats to the UBC midwifery program will help attract and retain a skilled workforce to continue to provide access to the care that newborns and B.C. families need.”
Angela Barelli, midwifery client –
“I cannot emphasize enough how instrumental my midwives were to my prenatal, birth and post-partum experience. Throughout my entire journey, I felt held and supported, not only by their expertise and efficiency, but by their genuinely kind, caring emotional support. I feel strongly that the opportunity to have a midwife should be extended to as many families as possible. These new seats in UBC’s midwifery program will help do just that and show that the government is serious about the development of its future citizens and the province.”
Apinya Padermchok, midwifery client –
“My midwives offered me warm support and treated me like a member of their family. They truly cared about my health and my baby. They helped me plan, made sure my needs were considered and supported me through labour and delivery and after my baby was born. Having more midwives will give more pregnant people the opportunity to experience this personalized care and support.”
Contacts:
Ministry of Health
Communications
250 952-1887 (media line)
Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills
250 508-5030 (media line)
BACKGROUNDER 2
Midwifery education and care in B.C.
Registered midwives provide primary maternity care to healthy pregnant clients and their newborn babies through pregnancy, labour and birth until about six-weeks post partum.
- UBC offers the only midwifery program in B.C.
- The bachelor of midwifery program launched in 2002, followed by the Internationally Educated Midwives Bridging Program (IEMBP) in 2015.
- The IEMBP is an eight-to-10-month program that allows internationally educated midwives to become registered to practise in B.C. It is the only program of its kind in Canada.
- The bachelor of midwifery program supports Indigenous students by incorporating cultural learning experiences and mentorship provided by Indigenous midwives and Elders throughout the four-year program.
- There are approximately 536 registered midwives in B.C.
- In 2020-21, midwives assisted in more than 12,000 births, or approximately 27% of births in the province, the highest proportion in Canada.
- Midwifery services are covered by B.C.’s Medical Services Plan.
Contacts:
Ministry of Health
Communications
250 952-1887 (media line)
Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills
250 508-5030 (media line)
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