Hospital Integration Award

The Hospital Integration Award recognizes an Ontario hospital that has demonstrated excellence in successfully integrating midwives into its organization.
 

Eligibility

All hospitals in Ontario that meet the criteria for this award are eligible for nomination by an AOM member in good standing.

Nomination Criteria

Hospitals will be judged according to how well they meet the following criteria, drawn from the OHA’s Resource Manual for Sustaining Midwifery Services in Hospitals:

  1. There is an equitable and accessible process in place for granting midwifery privileges, adding new midwives to the hospital, and ensuring the number of midwifery births are responsive to community needs. (20 marks)

  2. Midwives work to their fullest possible scope and are valued as integrated members of the perinatal care team. (30 marks)

  3. Midwives are meaningfully involved in planning, policy development, and culturally safe1, client-centred decision-making about perinatal care2, including a process for midwives to provide feedback to the hospital/Chief of Obstetrics/Head Midwife. (20 marks)

  4. The hospital works collaboratively with midwives to ensure high quality, culturally safe and respectful care to all clients, and particularly for those who are uninsured and/or experience challenges in the social and healthcare system linked to various social determinants of health (e.g., race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, socio-economic status, education, religion, immigration status etc.). (30 marks)

  5. A department-specific orientation program is in place for new maternity staff that includes information about midwives/midwifery, the integration and collaboration of midwives/midwifery in the hospital and the L&D floor, and the value of providing midwifery care to equity seeking groups. (10 marks)

  6. Departmental or divisional policies and protocols have been developed to help define roles and relationships between midwives and other perinatal care providers and that address barriers to quality care to marginalized groups. (10 marks)

  7. A department or division of midwifery exists with a renumerated position for Chief or Head Midwife. (10 marks)

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1 Cultural safety in the context of healthcare refers to the outcome that arises from respectful engagement within the healthcare setting that recognizes and attempts to level power imbalances which are inherent to the healthcare system. Culturally safe spaces and practices are free from racism and discrimination and allows both midwives to feel safe working in, and clients to feel safe receiving care. (Definition from First Nations Health Authority [internet], see endnote [1]

2 Cultural safety and humility [Internet]. Fnha.ca. [cited 2023 Jan 17]. Available from: https://www.fnha.ca/wellness/wellness-and-the-first-nations-health-authority/cultural-safety-and-humility

Nomination Selection

All submitted nominations will be reviewed by the AOM Awards Task Force. The task force will then recommend an award recipient to the Board of Directors, which will make the final selection.

To be considered nominations can be completed online, submitted by email or by sending a request for an interview to Diana MacNab.

  • nominee information;
  • nominator information and seconder information;
  • an explanation of how the hospital meets the criteria for this award; and
  • additional information about the hospital that demonstrates how midwives have been integrated (optional).

Don't know where to start? TMU offers some helpful tips for preparing a nomination package that are also applicable to the AOM nominations process.

 

Awards will be presented at the Ontario Midwifery Conference in 2024.

The deadline to submit nominations for this award is Dec 8, 2023.  

 

Click for Application Package