Can a RPN become a midwife ?

VXD4722 · Jan 25, 2016

It is possible for you to become a midwife but it will require furthering your education substantially. In Ontario, the entry to practice for midwives is a bachelor's degree from one of the accredited university midwifery programs. There are no bridging programs for RPNs to midwifery at this time.

Ryerson University does have a Post-Baccalaureate Program for Health Professionals that is (I believe) two years long, although that would require you to go back and complete your BN/BScN for consideration.

(Sorry if you're not from Ontario...I just assumed based on your use of RPN compared to LPN that is used in the rest of the country!)

althena · Jan 25, 2016

So I have to go back and become a registered nurse first to become a midwife?

I am from Ontario sorry I thought I included that.

VXD4722 · Jan 25, 2016

So I have to go back and become a registered nurse first to become a midwife?

No, there's three midwifery programs in Ontario (Ryerson, Laurentian and McMaster) and they are all 4 year Bachelor's degrees (previous nursing background plays no part in becoming a midwife in Ontario for the most part).

There is one very small program at Ryerson where you can complete the midwifery education in 2 years IF you already have a bachelor's degree in a health profession (i.e. nursing) and experience working in maternity.

I'm sure it would also be possible to get an international education and come back but I'm not sure how that would work, and there are probably hoops to jump through for that process.

hopetopassnclex · Jan 25, 2016

It is not all that possible because even after gaining a bachelor's degree in nursing you still have to go back to the university to complete a four year program in midwifery moreover you must have a 3 years experience in midwifery. I had a certificate in midwifery from home country and had a bachelor's degree hrerre in Ontario but couldn't continue to midwifery because of the 3years experience and the four years I was told to complete too. I might still look into that again but not now. So you can't just go from RPN to midwifery.

althena · Jan 25, 2016

I did some research and in Ontario it says I have to go back and do my bachelors , then apply to a midwifery program I guess those extra years it takes to achieve this will be worth it.

Thanks for your help.

Daisy_08, BSN, RN · Jan 26, 2016

There are a few midwife programs in Ontario that are four years. They take people right out of high school.

"The program curriculum is structured to train students who have no prior health care education or experience."

Frequently Asked Questions

babyfriendly · Jan 28, 2016

UBC's midwifery program is also 4 years & other than a university level bio & engl, you can apply right out of high school. There's no reason you can't become a midwife & you can start applying for the 4 year programs now. But you may want to do the BScN anyway as backup because waitlists are huge & getting into midwifery (on the west coast anyway) is so hard.