Ever wonder what the differences were between the different types of midwives? I’ve pulled together some info to help you in figuring that out. Hopefully this will help when choosing which care provider to work with.
Midwifery Certification
Certified Midwife (CM)
The American College of Nurse Midwives (2010) states:
CMs are individuals who have or receive a background in a health related field other than nursing and graduate from a midwifery education program accredited by ACME. Graduates of an ACME-accredited midwifery education program take the same national certification examination as CNMs but receive the professional designation of certified midwife.
CMs can practice in New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Delaware, and Missouri (American College of Nurse Midwives, 2011).
Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)
The American College of Nurse Midwives (2010) states:
CNMs are registered nurses who have graduated from a nurse-midwifery education program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME) and have passed a national certification examination to receive the professional designation of certified nurse-midwife. CNMs can practice anywhere in the United States.
Certified Professional Midwife (CPM)
The Midwives Alliance of North America (2012) states:
A Certified Professional Midwife is a knowledgeable, skilled and professional independent midwifery practitioner who has met the standards for certification set by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) and is qualified to provide the midwifery model of care. The CPM is the only international credential that requires knowledge about and experience in out-of-hospital settings.
CPM’s are regulated in some states, but not all. Check here for up to date info on state regulations: http://mana.org/statechart.html.
Direct Entry Midwife (DEM)
The Midwives Alliance of North America (2012) states:
A direct-entry midwife is an independent practitioner educated in the discipline of midwifery through self-study, apprenticeship, a midwifery school, or a college- or university-based program distinct from the discipline of nursing. A direct-entry midwife is trained to provide the Midwives Model of Care to healthy women and newborns throughout the childbearing cycle primarily in out-of-hospital settings.
DEMs are regulated by the states. Some require lisensure and some don’t. Check here for up to date info on state regulations: http://mana.org/statechart.html.
Lay Midwife
The Midwives Alliance of North America (2012) states:
The term “Lay Midwife” has been used to designate an uncertified or unlicensed midwife who was educated through informal routes such as self-study or apprenticeship rather than through a formal program. This term does not necessarily mean a low level of education, just that the midwife either chose not to become certified or licensed, or there was no certification available for her type of education (as was the fact before the Certified Professional Midwife credential was available). Other similar terms to describe uncertified or unlicensed midwives are traditional midwife, traditional birth attendant, granny midwife and independent midwife.
Check here for up to date info on state regulations: http://mana.org/statechart.html.
Liscensed Midwife (LM)
The Midwives Alliance of North America (2012) states:
A licensed midwife is a midwife who is licensed to practice in a particular jurisdiction (usually a state or province).
Check here for up to date info on state regulations: http://mana.org/statechart.html.
References
American College of Nurse Midwives. (2010). Our Credentials. Retrieved from http://www.midwife.org/About—American-College-of-Nurse-Midwives
American College of Nurse Midwives. (2011). Comparison of Certified Nurse-Midwives, Certified Midwives, and Certified Professional Midwives Clarifying the distinctions among professional midwifery credentials in the U.S.. Retrieved from http://www.midwife.org/ACNM/files/ccLibraryFiles/Filename/000000001385/CNM%20CM%20CPM%20ComparisonChart%20082511.pdf
Midwives Alliance of North America. (2012). Definitions. Retrieved from
http://mana.org/definitions.html#DEM
Midwives Alliance of North America. (2012). Direct-Entry Midwifery State-by-State Legal Status.
Retrieved from http://mana.org/statechart.html
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