ESW 2025: Year in review
March 10, 2026
Midwives are required to have specialized skills and training to handle emergencies that occur in both community and hospital settings. The AOM’s Emergency Skills Workshop (ESW) is a comprehensive, high-quality, College of Midwives of Ontario–certified course, designed and taught by midwives, for midwives.
The ESW program experienced a year of meaningful growth and innovation. In Ontario, recertifications rose by an impression 27%, reflecting strong engagement and a continued commitment from midwives to the ESW’s midwife- and client-centred emergency obstetric curriculum.
The management of unplanned breech in the upright position is a new skill that was introduced in the 8th ed. of the ESW manual. The lengthy process to develop this content (PDF, 288 KB) included a Delphi study and consultation with breech experts. The province-wide rollout of this content engaged nearly 100 ESW instructors in dedicated training to build capacity to teach the management of unplanned breech in the upright position to midwives. This milestone represents not only curriculum enhancement, but a coordinated effort to strengthen clinical capacity and advance midwifery skills across Ontario.
The 8th edition manual has been made available to all AOM midwife members (login required), along with a summary of changes to each chapter. Midwives no longer need to wait until their next recertification to access this updated content.
Recertification at your convenience
In 2025, the AOM coordinated 237 ESW events across Ontario, with ESW PRN being especially popular for both instructors and participants. Through ESW PRN, midwives can arrange an ESW workshop directly with an instructor, at their choosen date and location. A total of 229 PRN events occurred in 2025 including several PRNs in northern, rural and remote locations, garnering overwhelmingly positive feedback about accessibility and convenience. Check out the ESW 2025 Year in Review for a snapshot of ESW achievements.
ESW reaches across Canada and disciplines
In 2025, 185 midwives from other provinces and territories accessed ESW materials in English and an additional 83 midwives accessed them in French. 101 Canadian students, including from the Ontario MEP and the International Midwifery Preregistration Bridging Program, learned emergency skills using the AOM’s ESW program.
The AOM is also proud of our emergency skills program adaptations, which include the popular Paramedic Emergency Skills Program (PESP), recently updated in 2023, and ESW Connect, a course to support collaboration and knowledge exchange between midwives and interprofessional colleagues (such as nurses and physicians) in northern, rural and/or remote communities. Both adaptations meet a need for specialized emergency skills training in out-of-hospital and low resource settings, showcasing knowledge and expertise unique to midwifery.
The AOM is committed to delivering a high-quality, comprehensive ESW that remains current, relevant, equitable and sustainable. Through ongoing curriculum renewal and instructor development, we are strengthening clinical capacity and advancing midwifery skills across Ontario – ensuring midwives are confident, prepared and equipped to provide excellent obstetric emergency care in every practice setting.
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