PURPOSE:
Midwifery education must remain responsive to shifting clinical realities, cultural contexts, and community needs. In Alberta, where midwifery is a relatively young and growing profession, Mount Royal University’s Bachelor of Midwifery (BMid) Program is evolving to meet these demands. This presentation outlines how the program is integrating experiential, relational, and culturally grounded approaches to better prepare learners for complex, diverse, and often rural care environments.

DISCUSSION:
The BMid Program embeds community engagement and student-centred pedagogy across the curriculum. A diverse clinical placement model enables students to learn from a range of care settings and providers. Simulation-based learning is a cornerstone of the program, encompassing clinical judgment, technical skill-building, trauma-informed communication, and response to urgent situations. Simulations are co-developed with practicing clinicians to reflect real-world complexity and are supported by structured debriefs that cultivate reflective practice. Faculty who maintain concurrent clinical roles help bridge the gap between current care realities and classroom learning, contributing to ongoing curriculum refinement. Narrative reflection and mentorship are leveraged to deepen student learning and to support both students and preceptors. Student and preceptor stories are gathered and analyzed to identify barriers and strengths in clinical education, informing targeted support strategies and leadership preparation. Indigenization of the curriculum is underway, with Indigenous worldviews and cultural safety principles embedded across learning levels in partnership with Indigenous advisors and educators.

EVIDENCE WHERE RELEVANT:
Curricular strategies are guided by student feedback, national benchmarks, and preceptor input. Outcomes are assessed through reflective assignments, skills assessments, and formal stakeholder feedback mechanisms.

KEY MESSAGE:
To meet the needs of growing and diverse populations, midwifery education must be adaptive, grounded in community realities, and committed to fostering inclusive, relationship-based learning environments. Poster session 3 (Group B)