Hamilton’s McMaster University launches first graduate midwife program in Canada
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Hamilton’s McMaster University launched Canada’s first Master of Science (MSc) degree program for midwives and it will mostly be accessed online.
The university’s Midwifery Education Program (MEP) announced the new program on Monday (March 28), with plans for its first students to start this July.
“Midwifery care remains unavailable to many Canadians and midwives in Canada have untapped potential to increase access to sexual and reproductive health care for people who struggle to access that care,” said Liz Darling, assistant dean of McMaster’s midwifery program.
The MSc classes will be offered primarily through online group learning, with some opportunities for in-person instruction and students will be required to complete two, week-long residencies in Hamilton.
The core courses in the program will focus on leadership, social justice and system change, and research and evaluation.
“Ultimately it comes back to the benefit that midwifery brings to the people whom we care for,” said Darling.
“Our key motivation in creating this program is to graduate midwifery leaders who can increase the impact of the profession in health systems, and to expand the capacity of the midwifery profession to improve access to high quality sexual and reproductive health care, particularly for underserved groups.”
Given the predominantly remote nature of the program, the school is encouraging international midwifery students to apply.
“McMaster is the only place where international students can earn a Canadian MSc in midwifery,” said Darling.
The undergraduate midwifery program at McMaster gained formal accreditation from the Canadian Association for Midwifery Education in 2020 and was the first Canadian midwifery program to be so recognized.
The MSc program will accept up to 24 students for its first year, including eight full-time and 16 part-time learners, with plans to increase over time, to an intake of 10 full-time and 20 part-time students each year.
Registration for the MSc is now open and more information about it and the MEP can be found on McMaster’s website.
Read more at Inthehammer.
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