Cohorts

16 seats with potential for DOME

Blurb

8 seats

After completing the first year of academic study in Vancouver, up to eight students transition to Victoria to continue their education as part of the Vancouver Island Cohort. Leveraging UBC’s videoconferencing technology, these students participate in shared classes with their Vancouver counterparts while building strong connections with the midwifery community on Vancouver Island. This cohort was established in 2014 to address the growing demand for midwifery services across British Columbia and to expose students to healthcare settings beyond the Lower Mainland.

UBC Midwifery Program launches new Island Cohort (Faculty of Medicine Communications, December 2014)

Left to right: Emilie Ouellette, Rayann Harris, Josie Duncan, Kim Daniels, Meredith Campbell, Grace Wicken, Negar Aghtouman (January 2022)

3rd year students practicing ‘Donning & Doffing for the OR’. L-R: Rayann Harris, Bryanne Isdahl, Kim Daniels, Meredith Campbell, Clare Mildenberger, Emilie Ouellette. (September 2022 Intensives)

8 seats

In September 2023, six 1^st year students started classes onsite at Surrey Memorial Hospital as part of UBC Midwifery’s inaugural Fraser Health cohort. In mid-December, UBC officially took possession of the newly renovated 2nd-floor office and teaching space in the nearby Lark Building. A Clinical Site Coordinator, Administrative Operations Manager, Assistant Professor, and Lecturer are now based there, and there is study and locker space for students. 

The Fraser Expansion will add eight students per year to the cohort for a total of 32. Fraser Health is the fastest growing Health Authority in British Columbia, with a reported +15,000 births each fiscal year between April 1, 2015, and March 31, 2020. It also has the greatest maternity provider shortage in the province. The Ministries of Post-Secondary Education and Health hope to address capacity issues and further develop midwifery services to benefit underserved communities from Burnaby to Hope. 

The UBC Midwifery Program offers successful first-year applicants who live outside the lower mainland the option of joining the Distributed Online Midwifery Education (DOME) cohort.  As a member of the DOME cohort, students can attend first-year classes online from their communities. Students who qualify for DOME are not required to participate and may choose to move to Vancouver for the first year of classes if they choose, particularly if they aren’t comfortable with online learning. Weekly classes will be distributed to students in their home communities using videoconferencing technology.

Students selected for the DOME program are required to come to Vancouver the first week of term for orientation to meet faculty and classmates. They will attend their first classes in person that week and complete other new student orientation requirements. Following this, DOME students will return to their homes and attend classes. Textbooks and assigned readings are available online through the UBC Library. Toward the end of the term in November, DOME students are required to once again return to Vancouver for a week of skills labs and in-person learning.

Students qualified for DOME will:

• Meet admissions requirements for the bachelor’s degree program and be admitted into the fall cohort
• Have a personal computer with Windows 10 or macOS
• Have internet access
• Be able to travel to Vancouver 1-2 times a term

If you have further questions, please contact the Midwifery Program’s Student Services Manager/Advisor.  You can find their contact here.