Midwifery School and Clinical Sites
Aspiring midwives have many things to consider when making the decisions about educational routes to certification. As all candidates for certification take the same test, competency is assured through obtaining the credential. NARM does not endorse or promote a particular route of education and encourages candidates to consider factors of cost, location, and duration when looking at options for midwifery training.
MEAC and MEAC Accredited Schools
The Midwifery Education Accreditation Council’s mission is to promote excellence in midwifery education through accreditation. It creates standards and criteria for the education of midwives. MEAC standards incorporate the nationally recognized core competencies and guiding principles set by the Midwives Alliance of North America and the requirements for national certification of the North American Registry of Midwives.
The purpose of MEAC is to establish standards for the education of competent midwives, and to provide a process for self-evaluation and peer evaluation for diverse educational programs. MEAC is a non-profit organization approved by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency.
The following is a list of MEAC Accredited Schools. Please visit MEAC’s Web site for more information about these programs.
PROGRAMS
Bastyr University Department of Naturopathic Midwifery
Birthingway College of Midwifery
Birthwise Midwifery School
Florida School of Traditional Midwifery
Maternidad La Luz
Midwives College of Utah
National College of Midwifery
National Midwifery Institute
Nizhoni Institute of Midwifery
Other Midwifery Schools and Programs
The following is a list of schools that offer programs to aspiring CPMs. These programs are not evaluated by NARM. This listing is intended as a resource only and does not constitute endorsement or approval by NARM. All candidates attending non-MEAC accredited schools must apply for certification through the [Entry-Level PEP route].
Schools recognized by a state, either through eligibility for licensure or accredited by a state’s education department:
Association of Texas Midwives TX
Aviva Institute MN
Commonsense School of Midwifery FL
Dar La Luz SC
International Institute for Healthcare Professionals FL
International School of Midwifery FL
Midwest Maternal Child Institute WI
Midwife to Be SC
National College of Naturopathic Medicine OR
South Louisiana Community College Midwifery Program LA
Southwest Technical College WI
Via Vita AK
Schools not specifically recognized in a state, but offering educational or clinical training programs:
Ancient Arts Midwifery TX
Fundamentals of Midwifery, TX
Institute of Holistic Midwifery DE
Medical Training Institute TX
Michigan School of Traditional Midwifery MI
Midwifery Institute of America AR
Mountain Midwifery MT
Oregon International School of Traditional Midwifery OR
Sacred Mountain Midwifery WV
The Matrona WA
Utah School of Community Midwives UT
Womancraft MA
Out of Country Clinical Sites
IMPORTANT: Updates to Out of Country Clinical Site Policies and Approval Requirements
NARM has reviewed and updated existing policies related to OOC site approval and policies for applicants utilizing Out of Country Clinical Sites for documentation of the Portfolio Evaluation Process (PEP). As of September 1, 2012, no clinical experience received in clinical sites outside of the United States and Canada may be documented on the PEP forms unless the site has been approved by NARM.
Births may be documented as Primary Under Supervision only if the student is taking primary responsibility for the care given to the client, including differential diagnosis, labor monitoring and assessment, responsibility for the birth and newborn exam, and follow-up until discharge. This role must be under the direct supervision of a qualified preceptor.
An updated OOC Information Packet and OOC Clinical Site Application will be available June 30, 2012.
NARM Position Statement on Out of Country Clinical Sites
The Midwives Model of Care (MMOC) is the foundation upon which the CPM credential is based. As evidenced by the NARM Job Analysis and both the Written and Skills test descriptions, all documented training for entry-level midwives is expected to be within this model. Globally, midwives work in many settings both to provide this level of care to women and babies, and also to train others in the benefits of this evidenced-based approach to maternity care. The intention of creating a process to approve clinical sites for PEP applicants seeking clinical experience out of the US is to ensure that midwifery students are receiving experience that is relevant to the context of midwifery practice as a Certified Professional Midwife in the US.
Sometimes training opportunities for students are not woman-centered or in ideal conditions but still provide beneficial opportunities for both students and the women they serve. NARM recognizes that births in these settings contribute to the midwife’s overall experience, and NARM encourages these experiences as a supplement, but not substitute, for meeting the required clinical experiences as a PEP candidate.
Midwifery students seeking certification from the North American Registry of Midwives may seek training in clinical sites outside of the US and Canada (OOC sites). Students must be supervised by a qualified preceptor who is physically present in the room with the student when clinical skills are performed. Clinicals performed by the student may count toward NARM certification requirements as Active Participant/Assistant Under Supervision if the student is able to perform various midwifery skills under the supervision of the preceptor, and if the preceptor is able to give instruction and feedback to the student before, during, and after the clinical experience.
Approval by NARM as an out-of-country clinical site does not constitute an endorsement of a particular site based on setting or conditions such as accommodations, sanitation or cultural customs, but rather as verification that the clinical training students receive is in accordance with the NARM guidelines for primary under supervision and the Midwives Model of Care.
NARM Out of Country Clinical Site Preceptors
NARM Policy states that a preceptor for a NARM PEP applicant must be credentialed as a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM), or Licensed Midwife in the US who has an additional three years of experience or 50 births, including ten (10) continuity of care births beyond the primary birth experience requirements for CPM certification. Preceptors who do not meet that requirement and are supervising students in NARM approved out-of-country clinical sites must be approved by NARM. The OOC Preceptor Exception form is located here .
NARM Out of Country Clinical Sites
Below is a list of clinical sites outside of the U.S. and Canada that have been approved by NARM for PEP students. Clinicals attended after September 1, 2012 in Out-of-Country (OOC) sites that have not been approved, may not be used for any documentation on NARM forms.
Students who are enrolled in a MEAC-accredited school may attend any clinical site approved by their school and are not limited to those on the NARM list.
This list is subject to change with new sites being added as they are approved. Previously approved sites may be removed if evidence indicates the site no longer functions under the criteria submitted in the application. It is suggested that students review the approved list prior to embarking on a trip out of the country for primary clinical experience.
NARM assumes no responsibility for the arrangements between the clinical sites and the students. All arrangements are between the student and the clinical site. Approval by NARM as an out-of-country clinical site does not constitute an endorsement of a particular site based on setting or conditions such as accommodations, sanitation or cultural customs, but rather as verification that the clinical training students receive is in accordance with the NARM guidelines for primary under supervision and the Midwives Model of Care.
Approval is valid for 5 years. All approved applications will be dates from the start date to renewal date.
Approved Sites: (Site Code for Form 230)
Applicants: Please place the site code on Form 230 and submit this form with your application.
Al-Nisa Maternity Home – Capetown, South Africa (ANMH016) Expires 7/2016
Bumi Sehat – Bali (BS001) Expires 1/2014
Mercy Maternity Center – Davao, Philippines (MMC002) Expires 1/2014
African Birth Collective – Kafoutine, Senegal (ABC003) Expires 1/2014
Mercy in Action – Philippines (MIA004) Expires 1/2014
Luna Maya – San Cristobal, Mexico (LM005) Expires 5/2014
African Birth Collective – Mboro, Darou Khoudous, Diamanguene-Sengal (ABC008) Expires 10/2014
Abundant Grace of God Maternity Center, Tabuk, Philippines (AGG009) Expires 5/2015
Mother Health International, Haiti (MHI 010) Expires 8/2015
Birthrite Midwifery – Cape Town, South Africa (BRM 011) Expires 11/2015
Bus Fare Babies Birth Centre, South Africa (BFB 011) Expires 1/2016
MamaBaby Haiti, Haiti (MBH 012) Expires 6/2016)
Shiprah Birthing Home, Philippines (SBH 014) Expires 7/2016
Mamatoto Resource and Birth Centre, Trinidad (MRBC 015) Expires 9/2016
Midwives on the Move, Abura Dunkwa District Hospital, Central Region, Ghana, West Africa. (MOM 013H) Expires 6/2016
Casa Compasiva, Oaxaca, Mexico (CC016) Expires 4/2017
Heartline Maternity Center, Haiti (HMC 017) Expired 2/2017
Mother Health International, Uganda (MHI 018) Expires 4/2015
*Kali Ta Muchi Nawaruami – Samachique, Chihuahua, Mexico (KTMN006) Expires 6/2014) This site has closed but former students may still use clinicals obtained at this site towards their CPM
