Care and Services: Teaching Practice - Student Midwives and Course Descriptions


Womancare Midwives is a preceptor site for student midwives. The option of having a student involved in your care is offered to you. Midwifery students are in placement with us from four months to one year. You will only have one student assigned to you and students always work under the supervision of a midwife. You will have several opportunities to meet the student prenatally. The student will also attend your birth if you are comfortable with that. You play an important role in teaching future midwives sensitive, woman-centered care. Your feedback to them, and to us, is an essential part of their experience.



Ontario Midwifery Education Programms
Clinical Course Descriptions

Introduction to Midwifery
After a one week introductory session, the students spend the first two terms of the programme following women through pregnancy, labour, birth and the postpartum to gain an understanding of women's experiences in pregnancy, birth and early parenting. The student's role is support and observation. Through small group discussions, students will be oriented to the midwife's role and the philosophy of practice in Ontario.


Midwifery Care I
This clinical course involves four weeks of structured learning experiences to prepare for an eight week placement in a midwifery practice. The placement focuses on prenatal and postnatal assessment skills, providing labour support, and monitoring maternal and fetal well being during labour. Certification in CPR and Neonatal Resuscitation is done at this time.


Midwifery Care II
This sixteen week clinical course provides the student with an extended period of clinical experience, primarily within a midwifery practice under the supervision of a midwife preceptor. The course begins with a one week structured learning period and then moves into individualized placements. The placement focuses on clinical skills in prenatal, labour and birth, postpartum and newborn care. Students begin to act as primary care givers under supervision in the role of both the first and second midwife.


Midwifery Care III
This sixteen week clinical course is a continuation of clinical practice under the supervision of a midwife preceptor. The students will further develop their knowledge and skills relating to topics in prenatal, labour and birth, postpartum and newborn care. The focus will increasingly be on the development of clinical judgement, decision making and the recognition of indications for consultation while acting as primary caregiver in the role of both first and second midwife. Students will provide prenatal care to the clients whose birth they will attend in the clerkship.


Midwifery Care IV
By completion of this course, the student will have integrated theoretical and clinical content progressively and have acquired a sound knowledge base and the clinical skills to provide midwifery care under supervision throughout the childbearing cycle in the role of both first and second midwife. Students continue to develop decision-making skills and will focus on indications for transfer of care and on emergency skills. They continue to develop relationships with other health care providers. Students will provide prenatal care to the clients whose births they will attend in the clerkship.


Midwifery Care Clerkship
In this final term of clinical practice, the emphasis will be on clinical judgement and decision-making skills. The student will be expected to provide primary care in the full role of primary midwife in all phases of childbirth care in all settings and should plan care and make clinical decisions with minimal supervision. According to the College of Midwives of Ontario, Clerkship students may act as one of the two midwives present for the birth.