Letter from the Midwifery Council

27 April 2023

Tena koe,

Thank you for engaging in the Midwifery Council’s process for accreditation of Event Providers. We would like to thank you for the work you have done to ensure that high quality education is available to midwives.

The Midwifery Council has recently reviewed its processes for accrediting education courses that can be used for Continuing Midwifery Education. The Council has made the decision to discontinue accreditation for courses outside of the Combined Emergency Skills day, (or any other courses the Midwifery Council may mandate in the future) and those that form part of the Overseas Competence Programme, Return to Practice, or Return to NZ Practice programmes. The reason for this change is to reflect the diversity of education that can be invaluable to improving practice, and to remove barriers for education providers. This means that individuals or groups of educators will no longer need to apply to the Midwifery Council to have their courses approved; instead, it will be expected that reflective learning is integrated within all teaching. Any courses already accredited will remain so until 31 December 2023.

To fulfil Annual Recertification Requirements, Midwives can claim eight hours of education from any provider (or combination of providers) on any topic which has direct relevance to the midwife’s role. As per the Recertification policy, a percentage of midwives are audited each year to ensure they have undertaken the required education and can demonstrate application of this in their practice. To claim CME hours, midwives need to provide evidence of attendance (in the form of a certificate or similar) that includes the course name and date, their name, registration number, and the number of hours attended, as well as a written reflection on the learning gained and how this applies to their practice.

If you have any questions, please contact education@midwiferycouncil.health.nz

Naku iti noa, na,
Lesley Clarke
Chief Executive and Registrar