Midwives in the Philippines are generally viewed as people who simply assist or help in the delivery of a baby — but their actual work is much bigger than that.
In reality, midwives are involved in various stages of a mother’s pregnancy, and provide continuous care to both mother and child even after delivery.
Professional Midwives
In the Philippines, professional midwives are tasked with the following responsibilities:
- Monitoring and examining women during pregnancy
- Developing, assessing and evaluating individual programs of care
- Providing full ante-natal care, including screening tests in the hospital, community and the home
- Identifying high risk pregnancies and making referrals to doctors and other medical specialists
- Arranging and providing parenting and health education
- Providing counseling and advice before and after screening and tests
- Offering support and advice following events such as miscarriage, termination, stillbirth, neonatal abnormality and neonatal death
- Supervising and assisting mothers in labor, monitoring the condition of the fetus and using knowledge of drugs and pain management
- Giving support and advice on the daily care of the baby, including breastfeeding, bathing and making up feeds
- Liaising with agencies and other health and social care professionals to ensure continuity of care
As you can see, the career of midwifery is indeed a profession.
Registered Midwife (RM) Board Exam
In the Philippines, to become a Professional Registered Midwife (RM), an individual must both:
- 1. Be a graduate of a “BS in Midwifery” course in an accredited educational institution in the Philippines; and
- 2. Pass the Midwifery Licensure Examination, which is administered by the Board of Midwifery under the supervision of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).
The Midwifery Board Exam is conducted twice a year, in April and in November of every year.
If you’re interested to be a registered professional midwife soon, take note that the scope of the Midwifery Licensure Exam includes the following topics, among others:
- Infant Care and Feeding
- Obstetrical Anatomy and Physiology
- Principles of Bacteriology, as applied to Midwifery Practice
- Obstetrics
- Midwifery Procedures
- Domiciliary Midwifery
- Community Hygiene and First-aid
- Nutrition
- Ethics of Midwifery Practice
- Primary Health Care
- Professional Growth and Development
- Family Planning
Best Midwifery Schools in the Philippines
Do you want to know which universities in the Philippines are able to produce the highest number of registered midwives?
We compiled the data from previous Midwifery Licensure Exams to determine the top schools with the highest Midwifery Board Exam passing rates. Check out the table below to see if your school is one of the best Midwifery schools in the Philippines!
Schools ranked by Midwifery Board Exam Passing Rate
| School | City | Passing Rate | No. of Passers | Total Takers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Bicol University - Main Campus | Legazpi City | 100% | 85 | 85 |
| 1. Cebu School of Midwifery | Cebu City | 100% | 30 | 30 |
| 1. Bicol University - Polangui Campus | Polangui | 100% | 21 | 21 |
| 1. University of Pangasinan PHINMA Education Network | Dagupan City | 100% | 18 | 18 |
| 1. St. Anne College of Lucena | Lucena City | 100% | 17 | 17 |
| 1. Virgen Milagrosa University Foundation | San Carlos City | 100% | 11 | 11 |
| 1. University of Saint Anthony | Iriga City | 100% | 11 | 11 |
| 2. Iloilo Doctor's College | Iloilo City | 97% | 42 | 43 |
| 2. Naga College Foundation | Naga City | 97% | 38 | 39 |
| 3. Bicol University - Tabaco | Tabaco City | 96% | 60 | 62 |
| 3. Tagoloan Community College | Tagoloan | 96% | 25 | 26 |
| 4. University of the Philippines School of Health & Sciences - Leyte | Palo | 95% | 152 | 159 |
| 4. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital School of Midwifery | Manila | 95% | 83 | 87 |
| 5. Saint Mary's University | Bayombong | 94% | 16 | 17 |
| 6. St. Paul College Foundation - Cebu | Cebu City | 93% | 28 | 30 |
| 7. Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges | Nabua | 92% | 119 | 128 |
| 7. Catanduanes State University - Virac | Virac | 92% | 71 | 77 |
| 7. Colegio de San Gabriel Arcangel | San Jose del Monte | 92% | 12 | 13 |
| 7. Jose C. Feliciano College | Dau, Mabalacat | 92% | 12 | 13 |
| 8. Gordon College | Olongapo City | 91% | 11 | 12 |
| 8. Dr. Yanga's College, Inc. | Bocaue | 91% | 11 | 12 |
| 9. Davao Medical School Foundation | Davao City | 90% | 28 | 31 |
| 9. Our Lady of the Pillar's College | Cauayan City | 90% | 10 | 11 |
| 9. University of the Visayas - Mandaue Campus | Mandaue City | 90% | 9 | 10 |
| 10. Medical Colleges of Northern Philippines | Tuguegarao City | 88% | 44 | 50 |
| 11. University of Cebu - Banilad Campus | Cebu City | 87% | 27 | 31 |
| 11. Tawi-Tawi School of Midwifery | Bongao | 87% | 21 | 24 |
| 11. Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College | Estancia | 87% | 14 | 16 |
| 12. Cordillera Career Development College | La Trinidad | 86% | 20 | 23 |
| 12. Cavite State University - Indang Campus | Indang | 86% | 20 | 23 |
| 12. PLT College | Bayombong | 86% | 19 | 22 |
| 13. Bohol Island State University - Calape Campus | Calape | 85% | 66 | 77 |
| 13. Ifugao State University - Potia Campus | Potia | 85% | 30 | 35 |
| 13. University of Northern Philippines Vigan | Vigan City | 85% | 23 | 27 |
| 13. Abada College | Pinamalayan | 85% | 12 | 14 |
| 14. Tecaro College Foundation | Davao City | 84% | 43 | 51 |
| 14. Arriesgado College Foundation | Tagum City | 84% | 27 | 32 |
| 14. Butuan Doctors College | Butuan City | 84% | 11 | 13 |
| 14. Southland College | Kabankalan City | 84% | 11 | 13 |
| 15. Fellowship Baptist College | Kabankalan City | 83% | 15 | 18 |
Note: The table above only ranks schools with at least 10 Midwives Board examinees. Also, the passing rates just count the first-time takers; repeaters are not included in the passing rate. All figures are based on the four (4) previous Midwifery Licensure Exams in November 2017, April 2017, November 2016, and April 2016.
Source: PRC Philippines (www.prc.gov.ph)
