Another year comes to a close…and somehow we find ourselves several weeks into a new one. We take a moment to look back at the past 12 months.
Look How Many CPMs in 2023
Every CPM plays an essential role in the development and future of the CPM credential. Every U.S. state that regulates CPMs uses the NARM Examination. This exam has been co-created by CPMs and continues to be updated through participation in the Test Development process, making the CPM credential the thriving competency-based credential it is today.
NARM has issued over 4579 CPM credentials since 1994—
April 2023: Community-based NRP Resources!
NARM launched a Resource guide in 2023 to assist CPMs who are looking for Community-based NRP training.
There are nearly 20 instructors and programs to choose from. Some are local, but most will travel. Check out the NARM NRP Resource List here.
Congratulations to Iowa and Virginia!
On June 1, 2023 the legislation to license midwives went into effect in Iowa!
This bill offers licensure to CPMs and establishes a regulatory board for midwives in Iowa. CPMs who apply for licensure after July 1, 2024 must have a MEAC education or a Midwifery Bridge Certificate. There are exemptions made for midwives who are “a member of a Native American, Mennonite, or Amish community who provides traditional midwife services to such a community.” As well as midwives who “in good faith, engages in the practice of the religious tenets of a church or a religious act if no fee is contemplated, charged, or received.”
This makes Iowa the 38th state to enact licensure for direct-entry midwives.In January 2023, SB1275 was introduced to the Virginia State Senate and was enacted March 26, 2023. This allows licensed midwives to obtain, possess, and administer drugs and devices within the scope of their practice. This is another win for midwives to practice more fully within the scope of their training, but more importantly to meet the needs of families who birth in community settings.
August 2023: Launched the “Ask NARM” column!
Social media platforms like Facebook are a hotbed of conversation among students trying to navigate the requirements of midwifery training and preceptorships. In addition, the NARM Applications office fields dozens of phone calls from confused students with questions that generally start with, “Does THIS count…?”
In August 2023, the “Ask NARM” column was created to publicly answer the most frequently asked question of the month.
Check out NARM News & Updates to read past columns.
Preceptor/Student Accountability Committee
In 2022, The Preceptor/Student Accountability was formed to address issues related to integrity, conduct, and the upholding of written and signed preceptor/student work agreements between PEP students and their Preceptors.
- In 2023 the committee began its work and processed five complaints
We are grateful for all of the hard work these CPMs have done to facilitate communication and address concerns in the midwifery community.
Welcome New Board Member, Marinda Shindler!
Marinda Shindler began attending home births in central Virginia as a PEP student in 2012. She earned her CPM in 2018 and has been a Licensed Midwife in Virginia since 2019. Marinda is active in state midwifery politics and advocacy, represented the Virginia Midwives Alliance on the Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative from 2021 to 2023, and is the current Secretary of The Virginia Midwives Alliance. Marinda works at a birth center in central Virginia and has a passion for educating the next generation of community midwives. She joined the NARM Board in January of 2024.
Looking Ahead to 2024!
Job Analysis 2024: Keep checking your email in-boxes for the link to complete the Job Analysis. All CPMs who participate will earn credit toward recertification and contribute to the Test Development Process.
Midwifery Care Accountability Committee (MCAC): This committee of CPMs have been trained and will begin processing complaints against CPMs in 2024.
NARM Examination Development: We expect to begin the Item Writing process (aka writing exam questions) by the end of 2024 after the Job Analysis is completed. All CPMs are encouraged to participate.
Thank You
Thank you for all the ways in which each of you contribute to midwifery and the growth of the CPM credential.
Thank you for bringing midwifery care to the families you serve.
Thank you for growing the next generation of CPMs through the training and development of students.
Most of all thank you for all the ways in which you sacrifice to serve this calling.
We begin this year with grateful hearts and hope for a future in which every family has a midwife.
eBlast emailed February 2, 2024