GUIDELINES FOR COMPLETION OF APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION MIDWIFERY REGULATORY COUNCIL OF NOVA SCOTIA

A. MIDWIFERY LICENSURE

Midwives must be licensed by the Midwifery Regulatory Council of Nova Scotia. The Registrar of the Council issues licences in the following classes:

Active-practising
Active-practising with conditions or restrictions
Provisional
Provisional with conditions or restrictions

Subclasses within the active-practicing licence class:

Active-practising (clinical)
Active-practicing (non-clinical)
Active-practising (clinical) with conditions or restrictions
Active-practicing (non-clinical) with conditions or restrictions

In accordance with the Regulations Respecting Midwifery and the policies of the Midwifery Regulatory Council of Nova Scotia, midwives must hold an active-practicing (clinical) licence to engage in the clinical practice of midwifery. Midwives who are not engaged in clinical practice but work in the fields of research, education, consultation, management, administration, regulation, policy or system development relating to the practice of midwifery, as defined in the Midwifery Act, may hold an active-practising (non-clinical) licence.

Criteria for entry in the active practicing roster (clinical and non-clinical) are:

graduation from a Canadian university midwifery education program or its equivalent in the 2 years immediately before application, or
completion of an approved competency assessment program and/or bridging program in the 2 years immediately before application, or
currently registered or previously registered as a midwife in another province or territory in the 5 years immediately before application.

B. APPLICATION FORM

Section 1: Personal Information

Personal contact information is used by the Council for direct contact with members, and is not released to the general public. The Council does maintain a public roster that includes all practice and professional information on each member.

It is important that you keep the Council informed of any changes to your contact information so that we may contact you regarding your application and registration.

In Section 1 print your full current legal name. If any of the documentation you are providing with your application is in any name other than your current legal name, you must provide documentation to prove the change of name.
Please attach Schedule 1 to your application if you have ever been known by any other names.
Where indicated, print your name exactly as you wish it to appear on your certificate of registration. Your last name must be your current legal last name. Registration documents can be issued in your current legal name only, but you may choose how you would like your given names to appear, for example: Elizabeth J. Midwife, Liz Jane Midwife, E. Jane Midwife. Your name as it appears here will be used in all Council communication regarding your membership, including:

MRCNS website
Notification of registration to the province’s Vital Statistics Branch Birth Registry and Department of Health
Letters of conduct requested by regulators or hospitals.

Section 2: Citizenship, Legal Entitlement to Work in Canada

In order to be eligible for registration you must be either a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada or authorized under the Immigration Act (Canada) to engage in open employment in Canada. You must submit proof of your citizenship, residency or employment authorization along with your application.

Section 3: Professional Registration

In this section, you must list all current and previous professional registration including international registrations, registrations in other Canadian provinces or territories, and registrations in other regulated health professions. Midwives who are or have been registered in other Canadian provinces or territories will need to arrange for letters of professional conduct to be delivered to the Registrar directly from the regulatory body. You will need to sign a consent form to release this information, and complete the request form as required by your regulatory body. For those registered in other jurisdictions or professions copies of your registration certificates or other proof of registration must be attached to your application.

Section 4: Midwifery Education

Registered midwives in Nova Scotia must hold a baccalaureate degree from a Canadian university midwifery education program; or have educational qualifications equivalent to this degree.

Please list all of your midwifery education as indicated, and include notarized copies of all degrees, diplomas and certificates earned in these programs. If you are applying for registration as a midwife for the first time since graduating, please attach one original Record of Clinical Experience and arrange for your university to send an official transcript directly to the Registrar.

Registered midwives in Nova Scotia must also complete the Canadian Midwifery Registration Examination (CMRE). Please arrange for the exam results to be sent to the MRCNS.

Section 5: Clinical Experience

According to the Regulations, criteria for an active-practicing (clinical) licence are: At least the following practice hours or experience:

1125 hours or attendance at 40 births in the clinical practice of midwifery in the 5 years immediately before their application, or
450 hours or attendance at 12 births in the clinical practice of midwifery in the year immediately before their application

The clinical practice of midwifery is defined in the Regulations as the provision of antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum and newborn care as a primary care provider. In accordance with the definition of midwifery practice in the Act, midwives may practise either within or outside of a hospital setting.

In accordance with the requirements of the Act, the Regulations and the policies of the Council, midwives who do not fully meet clinical experience requirements may be issued a provisional licence.

Please answer all questions pertaining to your midwifery experience. Please complete and attach Schedule 2 to assist the Registrar in determining and verifying your clinical experience. You will also need to provide three references. At least one of your referees should be able to verify your clinical practice experience.

Section 6: Competency Assessment / Bridging Programs

If you have successfully completed a competency assessment and /or bridging program approved by the Council, you may be eligible for registration. Based on the results of the assessment, the Registrar may issue an active-practicing (clinical) licence or a provisional licence.

Please make arrangements to have your final report sent from the assessment program directly to the Registrar, if this has not already been done on your behalf.

Section 7: Continuing Competencies

The Council requires that all registrants in the active-practicing (clinical) class be certified in:

Neonatal Resuscitation annually. The minimum standard is the Canadian Pediatric Society Neonatal Resuscitation Provider course, including endotracheal intubation
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation every 2 years. The minimum standard is the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation Basic Life Support (level C) for Healthcare Providers
Emergency Skills in Obstetrics every 2 years. Courses approved by the council are:

Emergency skills courses/assessments conducted as part of or in conjunction with an approved Canadian university midwifery education program
Ontario Association of Midwives or Canadian Association of Midwives Emergency Skills Workshop (ESW)
Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada Advances in Labour and Risk Management (ALARM)
Managing Obstetrical Risk Efficiently (MORE ^OB )
College of Family Physicians of Canada Advances in Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO)

Certified instructors of these courses will meet these requirements, provided they have taught at least one course within the time frame required for currency.

Midwives are also required to successfully complete Opioids and Benzodiazapines: Safe Prescribing for Midwives offered through UBC Continuing Professional Development, Faculty of Medicine.

Please attach proof of current certification or instructor status in these continuing competencies.

Section 8: Disclosure of Past Proceedings

Questions in this section refer to all previous experience, including experience in another profession or experience that occurred outside of Nova Scotia, or outside of Canada. All questions must be answered “yes” or “no”. For every “yes” answer, you must provide a detailed explanation on an additional sheet of paper attached to the application.

Section 9: Certification of Application

You must ensure that this section is signed and witnessed properly. The witness must be over 18 years of age. The witness is attesting to the fact that they witnessed you signing the form, therefore they must sign at the same time that you do.

C. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Midwives must be licensed by the Midwifery Regulatory Council of Nova Scotia. The Registrar of the Council issues licences in the following classes:

Active-practising
Active-practising with conditions or restrictions
Provisional
Provisional with conditions or restrictions

Criminal Records Check

A current criminal record check must be requested for your current name, as well as for all previous names by which you have been known. Criminal records checks must be dated within 6 months of their submission to the Registrar.

An original certificate with the regulator’s seal or a notarized copy may be submitted, otherwise, you may obtain one in person or on-line.

Criminal Record Checks for residents of Halifax, Bedford and Dartmouth:

You may apply in person, from Monday to Friday, at:

Police Headquarters at 1975 Gottingen Street, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Halifax Shopping Centre, Mumford Road, Halifax, 8 am - 4:00 pm
15 Convoy Run, Bedford, 8:30 am-4:30 pm
Eric Spicer Building at 21 Mount Hope Avenue, Dartmouth, 8:30 am-9:00 pm
Spryfield Community Office, Herring Cove Road, 8:00 am-4:00 pm.

You must present two pieces of identification with your current address. The address must be within Halifax, Dartmouth or Bedford. Accepted identification: Nova Scotia Driver’s License or Nova Scotia ID Card and one other of: health card, birth certificate, passport, or social insurance number. The Criminal Record check costs $30 and takes approximately 10 days to process.

Important: You must submit the Criminal Record Check to Registrar in its original sealed envelope.

Criminal Record Check on-line:

A Criminal Record Check can be requested online at https://www.mybackcheck.com These online requests take only a few minutes and results are delivered to applicants electronically in less than 24 hours. The fee is $30. These certificates include a serial number. Applicants may e-mail the PDF version of the certificate to the Registrar or notify the Registrar of the serial number on the certificate.

Local Police Departments or RCMP detachments:

Criminal records checks can also be obtained through local police departments or RCMP detachments for the same fee. The results of these checks usually arrive within two weeks. Checks obtained from local police/RCMP must be provided to the Registrar in the original sealed envelope.

Letters of reference:

You must submit a minimum of three letters of reference from professionals or organizations with whom you have worked as a midwife. At least one of these referees should be able to verify your clinical experience as set out in your application. These three references must be provided by two of the following types of referees:

Previous employer(s) or professional staff in a health care facility or setting where you practiced midwifery, (hospital administrators, department heads, clinical managers, etc.)
A registered midwife in the health care facility or setting where you practiced midwifery
A physician in a health care facility or setting where you practiced midwifery
A perinatal or maternity nurse in the health care facility or setting where you practiced midwifery.

The enclosed forms should be completed and returned by the referee to the Registrar as follows:

Print your name and the name of the referee at the top of the reference form and indicate the referee’s professional designation.
Sign the top of each form in the appropriate space, giving your referee authority to provide confidential information to the Council.
Ask each referee to complete the form and return it directly to the Registrar.

CHECKLIST FOR REGISTRATION APPLICATION

Before submitting your application to the Midwifery Regulatory Council, please ensure that all items on this checklist are complete.

All areas of the application form are fully completed. Incomplete or incorrectly completed application forms lead to delays in registration
All applicable schedules and supporting documents are attached, and notarized when required, as indicated in the application

ATTACHMENTS TO ACCOMPANY THIS APPLICATION

Before submitting your application to the Midwifery Regulatory Council, please ensure that all items on this checklist are complete.

Schedule 1, for applicants with previous other names
proof of Canadian citizen ship, or
proof of permanent resident status,
proof of authorization for employment in Canada
consent and forms submitted to request Letter of Professional Conduct from each Canadian regulatory body where you are or have been registered
notarized copy of registration for each midwifery registration outside of Canada
notarized copy of registration for each professional registration other than midwifery, from every jurisdiction where you are or have been registered
notarized copy of each degree, diploma or certificate relating to midwifery education including CMRE results
Schedule 2: Clinical Experience by Practice Site, and Hospital Privileges/Employment
Competency Assessment and/or Bridging Program results sent directly to Registrar
copy of current certification in Neonatal Resuscitation
copy of current certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
copy of current certification in Emergency Skills in Obstetrics
copy of certification in Opioids and Benzodiazapines
an explanation of any “yes” answers to questions in Section 8
a passport photo taken within 6 months
a legible copy of photo identification
a criminal records check, sent directly to the Registrar, or delivered in its original sealed envelope
reference forms, forwarded directly to the Registrar from 3 referees
$50 application fee

Please return your completed application form and all supporting documents to:

Jenny Wright
Registrar, Executive Director
Midwifery Regulatory Council
P.O Box 488
1894 Barrington Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 2R8
Fax: 902 424 0730
Phone: 902 424 3218
Jenny.Wright@novascotia.ca

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