Policies are approved by the Council to guide the professional knowledge, skills and judgment needed to practice midwifery safely in Nova Scotia.
As defined in the Midwifery Act, the scope of midwifery practice includes the provision of care during normal labour and birth in out-of-hospital as well as hospital settings.
Registered Midwives must obtain specialised training from a MRCNS approved course for inserting intrauterine contraception (IUC).
Provincial and hospital guidelines, policies and protocols must be adhered to whenever the midwife is ordering or administering controlled drugs and substances on her own authority.
Registered midwives with an active-practicing (clinical) or provisional (clinical) license in Nova Scotia may independently prescribe, order, or administer drugs or substances in accordance with the schedule of permitted drugs in categories set out in the Regulations.
Currently the only way midwives can prescribe the abortion pill at this time is delegation by a physician.
In the course of investigating a complaint, the Registrar may require a registrant to participate in any examination which the Registrar directs to determine whether the registrant is competent to practise midwifery (Midwifery Act, s. 38(4)(c)).
The Midwifery Regulatory Council of Nova Scotia (MRCNS) recognizes that if a registrant has become unable to practise safely, ethically or competently because they are suffering from an incapacity, a voluntary alternative to the disciplinary process focused on achieving public protection through remediation should be available. This process is called the “Fitness to Practise (FTP)” program.
This policy sets out the framework for supervision when an applicant fails to meet the clinical experience requirements of the active-practicing roster, as set out in the Midwifery Regulations.
When there has been a finding of professional misconduct pursuant to theMidwifery Act, a summary of the finding will be published on the Council’swebsite.
Midwives in clinical practice must fulfil all requirements of the MRCNS Quality Assurance Program for annual licence renewal, in addition to the requirements for continuing competence in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), neonatal resuscitation (NRP), emergency skills (ES) and fetal health surveillance (FHS).
Midwives must complete and submit a Quality Assurance Program Annual Record with their application for annual licence renewal by March 1st of each year.
Policy on registration with Medavie Blue Cross
Midwives are expected to recognize circumstances when it is appropriate toorder diagnostic tests that are normally associated with low risk maternity/newborn care.
Midwives must be licensed by the Midwifery Regulatory Council of Nova Scotia. The Registrar of the Council issues licences in the following classes:
Subclasses within the active-practicing licence class:
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:
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 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.
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.
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.
According to the Regulations, criteria for an active-practicing (clinical) licence are: At least the following practice hours or experience:
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.
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.
The Council requires that all registrants in the active-practicing (clinical) class be certified in:
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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:
The enclosed forms should be completed and returned by the referee to the Registrar as follows:
Before submitting your application to the Midwifery Regulatory Council, please ensure that all items on this checklist are complete.
