Ryerson Midwifery 101

Disclaimer: This description consists only of my observations and personal experiences of the MEP and by no means should it take precedence over the current or listed practices that are currently happening through the MEP. 

So, with the beginning of first year coming in, I've been inundated with questions lately about "What its going to be like" - both by students who will be starting in the fall, and by others contemplating the journey.  Of course, since I'm only beginning second year, many of these questions I can only speculate on myself, and I often find myself asking students further along in placements the very same questions.  That being said, I can speak for what first year is like, and explain some of what we understand the rest of the program to be like. 

Beginning the program is a difficult process.  Once you've been accepted, you get very little communication directly from the program.  You're left with a million questions and nobody to ask until you make contact with administration and receive your second package with some more details.  Still, none of that tells you what your schedule will be like, who your teachers will be, how much tuition and books will cost, etc.  Its a time of lots of questions.  What is the point of the courses we're taking?  Whats the content?  What's the schedule?

I won't speak to the schedules, because they will inevitably change over time.  What won't change, though, is that they're all 3-hour blocks, with the exception of Working Across Difference, which I will describe below, along (briefly) with the other core first-year courses and some FAQ's I've been getting lately.

So, the courses:
Anatomy and Physiology (full year):  This course is usually shared with the nursing students in a large auditorium.   Its a two-credit course, and goes all year.  The textbook that we used last year was Marieb's Anatomy and Physiology.  This course can get transfer credits through various means.  Some people thinking about entering the program take this course to get it out of the way.  This is a pretty good idea, although I found some strengths in taking this in combination with some of the other courses and personally think getting rid of your electives to be more important before entering the program (if you can!).  This course has two sets of concept maps for assignments, one in each semester, and a midterm and final exam in each semester.  Beware: the concept maps *will* become your worst nightmare and you will probably hate them, but you will also learn the material so well you might not need to study it later!

With Woman (first semester): A favourite of mine.  As a doula, getting to sit down and talk about birth with a midwife is just about the greatest thing in the world to do.  In this course, we learned about labor support, the *basic* physiology of birth, professional behavior, and lots of fun introductory issues in midwifery including legislation.  There's no exam for this course, but lots of other commitments.  We're assigned at least one woman to follow through the end of her pregnancy and birth (some of us were assigned 3 or 4); and we attend a midwifery clinic for a half day to sit in on prenatal appointments and observe.  These are great opportunities, especially for those less experienced with birth, but I gained a lot from them as well.  There's no exam for the course, however there are I think 3x500 word reflections throughout the semester, a With Woman paper (I think that was about 2000 words) and a final literature review that was 1500 words (but dont be fooled - that paper took a lot more than your typical 1500 word paper).  As far as I know, nobody can get transfer credits for this course.

Working Across Differences (full year): Hands down, my favourite course in first year. Nadya Burton is a blessing to midwives everywhere. This course is also mandatory - nobody can get transfer credits, no matter how many anthro/sosc/psych/womens studies credits you've got under your belt, and you'll understand why after a while.  Although its introducing new concepts to many of the students, everything is presented in the context of midwifery - what do you do as a midwife when you are faced with differences?  This covers a really broad spectrum of different issues that face women but to gloss over it, important focuses are issues concerning poverty, abuse, genital cutting, immigrants, different sexualities and gender identities, aboriginals, and differing views and facts about breastfeeding.  I benefitted so much from this course.  It really transformed the way I look at the world.  Also, since this is the only first year course that every first year takes, this is your opportunity to get to know the classmates that you started with.  You'll be seeing them every Thursday (or whatever day) for both semesters of the school year.  You'll love them; midwifery students are swell!  And so are you!  The assignment portion of the course is challenging but interesting.  Six critical reflections, three per semester.  Readings are pretty heavy sometimes - the 1000pg + text is compiled by Nadya and sold through McMaster University bookstore.  The final assignment is a 20 page paper on whatever issue about difference that you'd like to write about.  This is HUGE!  And an incredible opportunity to become an expert on whatever difference you decide to work on.  For an example of what this paper looks like, check out my own, which I wrote on the intersections between Unassisted Childbirth and midwives.  You will love this course, and it will probably, at some point,  also make you cry.  Its okay.  I think it's supposed to.   :) 

Life Sciences (second semester):  This course deals with some physiological processes that are also covered in A&P, and then the second half of the course is devoted to infectious disease (particularly those affecting pregnancy, such as STDs), bacterial and viral structure, modes of transmission, vaccines, etc etc. The last few classes were devoted to various prenatal tests - both how they're done in the lab and how midwives read them and what they do with the information.   I did learn the material from this course, really I did.  But I didn't like it. As for assignments, I"ve put it all out of my head.  You'll have to find out when you get there! There was no assigned text that we had to buy but I suspect that might be changing, as I gather they are still tweaking the finer points of this course. 

Critical Appraisal of Research Literature (first semester): This course was an interesting learning experience.  We got to learn about different research methods and how they're done - and no, we didn't have to do statistics!  Yay!  The textbook is based, again, on midwifery research so at the same time as you're learning research approaches, you're also learning about studies relevant to midwives.  This course is very important, even though the name of the course sounds really bland, and the teacher (that we had) is very enthusiastic about research and can teach you a lot.  Assignments are a bit blurry in my head, but I'm pretty sure there was a midterm and a final, as well as a group project where you critique a piece of research, and a question/answer assignment.

OK!  So there's your first year (except for electives).  I can't speak for electives because there are so many.  Just know that the above should be your focus for the year!

Once I understand the second year courses a little more fully, I'll be able to speak to them more.  Just know that Clinical Skills is actually a three-credit course that involves lots of testing and 1.5 full days per week of instruction (as well as some other engagements).  Reproduction and Physiology and Pharmacotherapy have been graciously scheduled on the same day (at least for us, and last year) for those commuting and concerned about it.  But that's about all I know now, until I'm actually doing them!

SO - the FAQ's I've been getting lately...

Can you work and do the program?
Yes - but only to a certain extent.  Ryerson offers 4, 5, or 6 year programming.  This means, essentially, that the first portion of the program is either condensed or spread out, but the second portion will be the same no matter what.  When you're accepted, you are TOLD which stream you get into (and, like me, it might not be the one you applied for!).   There is flexibility though if you want to slow down or speed up.  The courses described above are what someone in a 4 year stream will be doing.  Those in the part time streams probably wont take all of those at once.  If you are doing the 4 year stream, the academic portion of the program is condensed into 3 semesters - whereby you need to obtain (with or without transfer credits) 16 credits.  This is very very full time!  5 year part-timers get an extra year to do the same number of courses; 6 years get another year.  There's no way I could have combined commuting 5 hrs/day, 4-6 courses a week, and parenting with any kind of work (especially since my "work" is unpredictable doula work!).  Many many can do it with a lighter course load, though, including doulas and many who continued working full time.  We are allowed one absence per term per core course without it affecting our grades, and we must be present for exams - so you'll need backup if you're working as a doula, but it can be done!    When it comes to placement, which is full time and lasts 2.5 years for people in all streams - no, you can't work.  See below.

What is placement like?
As I mentioned earlier, I am not yet in placement.  However, there has been enough talk to us about it (it, being second year placement - third year is much different but I dont understand it at all yet!) that I have a general understanding of the process. Basically, we are given a list of regions in Octoberish, with which we have to choose our top three preferences.  All of the students from all three university locations in Ontario are then put into a computer system and the computer attempts to randomize as many first, second, and third choices as possible.  No priority is made for any particular circumstances that I am aware of, aside from francophones (to the best of my understanding).  This has been explained to us as an attempt to equalize students, since nobody can really say whose reasons for wanting "x" placement are more important.  Inevitably, some people won't get any of their choices.  These people will be contacted before the final results are posted so they can choose from the remaining locations.  The end results, to the best of my knowledge, are given to us mid-to-late November.  This is an extreme source of stress for me.  I don't live in Toronto, and am thus quite a distance from most midwifery practices in the province aside from 2 or 3!  The threat of moving is great.
While we are in placement, we are on call 24/7.  We follow our preceptor in clinic and to births and home visits, as well as attend weekly virtual classes online and write exams and do assignments.  I believe the amount of time we are given off call is something like 4 days per month.  So, basically, its really intense.

Can I get transfer credits?
By far, the majority of the people in the program already have some university education and can get some transfer credits.  I think in our starting year there were only three of us (out of 32) that didn't have at least some. As I mentioned above, you can't get transfer credits for With Woman and Working Across Difference.  It's also very hard to get transfer credits for Life Sciences.  Many have gotten them for Critical Appraisal of Research Literature and A&P, and many more have gotten them for the electives.  Remember, you've got 2 professionally related (anything goes basically) electives, 2 Social science electives (which must involve a major paper and discuss women's issues), and 2 women's studies electives.  I only wound up doing two of my electives through Ryerson.  Everything else, I took this past summer through Athabasca and will be transferring them over in the fall.  This makes the rest of the academic portion much more liveable! 

Please let me know if you've got other questions (that I can answer!) and I'll update as needed.