First cohort of graduates from UBC’s Midwifery program.
Photo credit: Martin Dee
Ten years ago, seven University of British Columbia students picked up a BMW at spring convocation.
But they didn’t drive away in a luxury vehicle. Instead, they walked away with Bachelor of Midwifery degrees in hand — the first Midwifery degrees to be conferred at UBC.
“The 10-year anniversary of our first graduating cohort is an important milestone,” says Dr. Michelle Butler, program director. “UBC’s first wave of Midwifery students really helped pave the way for the future of midwifery education in B.C.”
Established in 2001, UBC’s four-year Midwifery degree program has been preparing midwives for practice in B.C. for over a decade. Offered on a full-time basis, the program equips students with the tools and expertise to provide maternity care services across a broad range of settings, enabling graduates to enter directly to practise following licensure.
This spring, eight more UBC Midwifery students will earn their degrees and embark on the next stage of their journey as registered midwives.
Many have already secured work in communities across the province, including Paula Schikkerling, who is headed to Sooke, and Vanessa Samur, who will be moving to Kelowna.
“Over the course of my degree, I not only built life-long relationships, but was exposed to a variety of perspectives and enjoyed clinical placements that really enriched my learning experience,” says Schikkerling.
Outside of the classroom, UBC’s Midwifery students gain hands-on, professional experience through a series of clinical placements across the province — including rural and remote regions of the province, where maternity care services are in great demand.
More midwives for B.C.
Dr. Michelle Butler, Director of UBC’s Midwifery program.
Photo credit: Martin Dee
Starting next spring, the number of UBC Midwifery graduates will expand two-fold, thanks to a boost in funding from the Province of British Columbia in 2012, which saw student spaces jump from 10 to 20 per year.
But expansion is only one way in which the program is changing the face of midwifery education in the province and helping to fill the maternity care gap in B.C.
Last fall, Dr. Butler and her team of dedicated faculty and staff launched the Island Cohort — an initiative that sees up to eight UBC midwifery students move to Vancouver Island every year to be trained and ultimately complete their degree.
“By offering midwifery students an opportunity to experience living and working in communities beyond the Lower Mainland, they’ll not only be exposed to diverse health care settings, but may also begin to develop an interest in practicing in these areas once they qualify,” says Dr. Butler.
Earlier this year, UBC’s Midwifery program also announced a new initiative designed to help internationally educated midwives become fully licensed to practise in B.C. With support from the Province, the new program — set to accept eight first-year students each year starting January 2016 — will help UBC fill the province’s growing needs by providing an additional pathway to licensure for qualified midwives, while diversifying the profession.
B.C. was one of the first Canadian provinces to offer a Midwifery program (after Ontario and Quebec). For more information about UBC’s Midwifery program, visit www.midwifery.ubc.ca. To learn more about the history of UBC’s Midwifery program, explore the program’s interactive, digital timeline.