OMC COMMUNITY PRACTICE STANDARDS

Midwives in Oregon are as different as the clients we serve but we all strive to provide safe care grounded in informed choice.  Direct-Entry Midwives in Oregon are Certified Professional Midwives, Licensed Direct-Entry Midwives, and Traditional Midwives and while we each practice according to the practice standards and OARs applicable to us, including the MANA Standards and Qualifications for the Art and Practice of Midwifery, we also practice within the standards of our local communities including the OMC Best Practice Guidelines.

We recognize that women are the central decision makers in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum and see our job as walking alongside them through the experiences of pregnancy, birth and postpartum and providing them with the information needed to make care decisions. We expect midwives to offer tests and procedures that are standard of care in Oregon, practice within the limits of their experience, and consult and/or transfer care as needed. We are united in the goal of providing safe and satisfying care to the women we serve.

When transfer of care to another provider type or to a hospital is indicated we rely on the Homebirth Summit Transfer from Planned Home Birth to Hospital Best Practice Guidelines.  The homebirth community has been working together with supportive medical providers to improve the transport experience for families, midwives and receiving healthcare providers. We expect all midwives to participate in helping create a system that provides optimal outcomes while remaining respectful to all.

We value peer review as one of our main tools for learning from challenging or unusual cases and ensuring excellent care for the families we work with.  We expect midwives to attend regular peer review as outlined in the Oregon Midwifery Council Peer Review Standards.

2021 OMC Best Practice Guidelines (includes Student and Preceptor Community Standards)