Working with Students
We are a committed teaching practice that works with the students of the Midwifery Education Programs at Ryerson University, Laurentian University and McMaster University. Our students are active participants in all aspects of client care which gives them the experience needed to become skilled and competent graduates.
The midwives at our clinic play a important role in the training of student midwives. Midwives are required to have a four year Bachelors of Health Science degree in Midwifery in order to qualify as registrants with the College of Midwives of Ontario. Students complete four years of intense academic studies and in that time are also placed in midwifery practices in order to gain hands-on clinical experience.
Clinical placements begin in the first year of the program when students participate in client care in a supportive role. As students progress they are given more responsibilities. By the time a student is in their final clinical placement, the student will have the skills to care for the woman and the baby from the beginning of pregnancy, during labour and birth, and after the birth – always with the supervision of your midwife.
In these placements, your student will be at as many of your visits as possible so that you will get to know each other well. Student midwives will take pages, be the primary or back-up midwife at births, and facilitate the clinic, prenatal and post-partum home visits. A midwife preceptor will be present or nearby when you are with the student.
Student at the Toronto Birth Centre
If you are planning to give birth at the Toronto Birth Centre (TBC) we hope you can recognize that this is a special learning experience for midwifery students. At TBC there are students who are in clinical placements that are in their 3rd year of the midwifery program. If there is a midwifery student placed there at the time of your birth we may ask you to involve them in your care in the role of the 2nd or the back-up midwife. You will not have had a chance of getting to know them prior to the birth but they will mainly be assisting your primary midwife and primary student, providing care to the baby at the time of birth, under the supervision of your second midwife.