Unauthorized Practice
It has come to the attention of the College of Midwives of Manitoba (CMM) that certain individuals may be holding themselves out as midwives and/or performing practices reserved by law to midwives or other regulated health professionals. Because the rumours persist, the College is providing this information to all persons who may have knowledge of these activities to inform them about the relevant laws of Manitoba.
The CMM is the regulatory body for the profession of midwifery in the province of Manitoba. The duties and responsibilities of the CMM are to:
- Serve and protect the public interest
- Regulate the practice of the profession and to govern the members in accordance with the Act and the bylaws
- Set registration requirements and standards for education and experience that must be met in order to practice as a midwife in Manitoba;
- Develop, establish, and maintain standards for safe and ethical practice for members; and
- Respond to complaints from the public regarding midwifery practice.
The Midwifery Act defines the practice of midwifery as
- assessing and monitoring women during normal pregnancy, labour and the post-partum period, and of their newborn babies;
- providing care during a normal pregnancy, labour and post-partum period;
- conducting spontaneous vaginal deliveries
- prescribing, dispensing or administering designated drugs;
- ordering, performing or interpreting designated diagnostic tests;
- performing designated invasive procedures.
Except in an emergency, Section 3 of The Midwifery Act prohibits persons who are not registered as a midwife with the CMM, or members of another authorized regulated health profession, from engaging in the practice of Midwifery as defined above.
Section 4 of The Midwifery Act prohibits persons who are not registered as a midwife with the CMM from:
- representing that they are a midwife or are entitled to engage in the practice of midwifery;
- using any sign, display, title or advertisement implying that the person is a midwife
- using the title “midwife”, or any variation or abbreviation of that title, or an equivalent in another language.
A person who contravenes Section 3 or 4 of The Midwifery Act is guilty of an offence and if convicted may be subject to a possible maximum fine of $5,000 for a first offence and to a possible maximum fine of $15,000 for subsequent offences.
If a Registered Midwife, another regulated health professional or a member of the public is aware of any circumstances where an individual is engaging in unauthorized midwifery practice or the use of the title “midwife”, please contact the Registrar at the College of Midwives of Manitoba for further information.
Janice Erickson, Registrar
College of Midwives of Manitoba
B-890 Pembina Highway
Winnipeg, MB R3M 2M8
Email: registrar@midwives.mb.ca
Information for the public regarding what to expect from a Midwife is available on our website.