A midwife from B.C.'s Fraser Valley who ventured outside her "scope of practice" by performing a frenectomy procedure on a newborn has been reprimanded and suspended.
Natasha Oglesby of Chilliwack was disciplined for a number of issues related to her practice that took place between February 2021 and May 2023, according to a notice published by the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives.
The college did not specify when the frenectomy – a minor surgery used to treat conditions such as tongue-tie – happened or provide any additional details about the circumstances.
Other issues with Oglesby's practice included "inappropriately providing care via text and phone in an urgent clinical situation while out of province," and "failing to arrange and communicate appropriate primary care coverage for her midwifery clients," the notice reads.
She also performed ultrasounds during pre-natal appointments for reasons other than to determine the fetal heart rate, which the BCCNM said was beyond her scope of practice as well.
As a result, the midwife agreed to a two-month suspension of her registration and a reprimand.
When she returns to work, Oglesby will also be under limits and conditions for two years that, among other things, prohibit her from working as a solo midwife or from communicating with patients "regarding clinical matters" by text or instant messaging, according to a summary of a consent order she signed with the college.
She will be required to work with an experienced midwife during that time, and be barred from providing supervision to midwifery or nursing students.
The college's inquiry committee is "satisfied that the terms will protect the public," according to the BCCNM notice.
