Acme Accredited Nurse Midwifery Program

State Eligibility And Licensure Requirements

Not every state will allow a student to enroll in a distance education program or to participate in a clinical placement within the state. The states found on the link below are eligible states for distance-based education and clinical placement. For applicants not seeing their state on this list, please contact the Office of Enrollment and Student Affairs.

Applicants to any of our distance-accessible courses/ programs that may lead to professional licensure or certification should become familiar with the regulations governing distance accessible programs in their state. Licensure requirements vary from state to state and by professional organization. Emory is working toward developing a database to provide this information. Prospective students residing in states other than Georgia should be aware of their stateâs Board of Nursing and Department of Education rules and regulations.

Bachelors Or Masters Degree Level Graduates With Licensure

In addition to associateâs and bachelorâs level promotion programs, there are also Doctor of Nursing Practice options available for those at a higher degree level. These programs are for students that have either already achieved a Masterâs degree in Nursing or those wishing to move straight from bachelorâs to doctoral level with one program.

The Practice Of Midwifery In The Us

In 2012, CNMs attended nearly 314,000 births. Since 1991, the number of midwife-attended births in the U.S. has more than doubled.

Although midwives are best known for providing pregnancy care and attending births, about 54 percent of CNMs identify reproductive care as their main area of focus, while 33 percent identify primary care as their main job responsibility.

In 2012, almost 95 percent of CNMs attended births in hospitals, while just 2.6 percent attended births in freestanding birth centers and 2.5 percent attended births in private homes. Further, more than 60 percent of midwives named a physician practice or hospital/medical center as their principal employer.

The ACNM reported that after decades of research and a recent review of midwifery studies, researchers found that women that receive care from midwives had:

• Lower rates of labor induction/augmentation
• Lower use of regional anesthesia
• Lower rates of primary cesarean births
• Lower rate of episiotomies
• Higher rates of breastfeeding initiation

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What Is A Midwife

In the modern clinical sense, a midwife is a nurse or health professional with specialized training in the reproductive health care of women. In general, women resort to midwives for support through prenatal care, pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period.

However, midwife training also extends to other aspects of womens health, such as gynecological and family planning services. Therefore, it is common for midwives to receive certificates as nurses for womens health as well as midwifery certificates.

Although there are several different types of professional midwives, only certified midwives are licensed to practice throughout the country. The CNM Certificate requires an active Nurse Practitioner , a Master of Science in Nursing , and a degree of success in the American Midwifery Certificate Certification exam.

Certified midwives are required to have nearly all of the same credentials as a CNM, but they are not required to have RN licenses. Only Delaware, Maine, Missouri, New Jersey, and New York currently allow CMs to practice in certified capacities.

Choosing A Nurse Midwife Program

There are so many important factors to consider when choosing a nurse midwife program, but finding the right fit is not an impossible task. Ensuring that your school and program of choice is worthy of your time and money is as simple as paying attention to the following details during your research:

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The Operational Structure Of Acme

ACME strives towards achieving the best maternity care and offers accreditation status to programs after a rigorous evaluation.

The Accreditation Commission of Midwifery Education Programs consists of four units that serve as its decision making bodies.

• Board of Commissioners – The board is in charge of organizing the activities of ACME, strategic planning and constantly improving the criteria utilized to provide accreditation status.

• Site Visitor Panel – The panel is responsible for organizing and assessing the site visits to midwifery education programs.

• Board of Review – Reviews the candidate’s Pre accreditation Report or Self-Evaluation Report and the Site Visit Report , and assures accreditation status.

• Advisory Committee – The committee is composed of members representing nursing, prescription, Education, general wellbeing, and people in general, which works towards improvements and assessment of ACME.

Format And Curriculum Of Msn Programs For Nurse Midwives

Nurse-Midwifery MSN Program Schools of nursing, colleges of allied health, and medical centers house ACME-accredited nurse-midwifery programs. Nurse-midwife MSN programs focus on the integration of research and nurse-midwifery practice, with an emphasis on delivery high-quality, patient-centered care.

In addition to core coursework in pathophysiology, pharmacology, health assessment, and research and leadership, courses in a nurse-midwife MSN program include:

• Primary care of women
• Comprehensive perinatal care
• Advanced nurse-midwifery role development

Clinical rotations often include working in a variety of ambulatory and community sites, including rural and medically underserved clinics.

Nurse-Midwifery/Womens Health Nurse Practitioner MSN Program Nurse-midwifery/womens health nurse practitioner programs allow students to broaden the scope of their practice beyond a CNM or WHNP. These programs combine the core areas of both nurse-midwife and womens health nurse practitioner MSN programs, preparing students to become competent practitioners capable of providing a full range of primary care across all stages of a womans life.

Unlike nurse-midwifery programs, these combined graduate programs encompass not only the family planning and gynecologic needs of women, but care for the rest of the family through the diagnosis and management of common acute and chronic health conditions, as well.

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Nurse Midwife Degree Levels Offered

Students have the option to complete a master’s degree-level nurse midwifery program or a doctoral nurse midwifery program. Many practices are perfectly fine with an MSN-educated nurse midwife, but those who may want to further their clinical expertise and assume a leadership-based role may prefer to opt for a DNP. There are also other bridge programs that will allow nurses to break into the nurse midwifery specialty. Luckily, there are a variety of schools around the country that offer each of these pathways.

Adn/rn To Cnm Bridge Programs

Some schools offer specialized bridge programs for RNs who currently hold an ADN degree and wish to earn an MSN with a nurse midwifery focus. Enrolled students can essentially skip the BSN step, as the program allows for a year of bridge programs and then MSN-level coursework. Frontier Nursing University offers an ADN/RN to CNM program that requires 64 credit hours once students have completed their bridge courses.

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Eligibility Requirements For Acme Accreditation

ACME accredits only those programs that meet the minimum standards in terms of the educational quality of the Nursing programs and other resources.

The eligibility requirements that must be met to receive accreditation are as follows:-

• The midwifery program resides within or is affiliated with an institution that is presently recognized by the United States Department of Education, or it meets ACMEs policy requirements for institutions based outside the United States.

• It has enough resources and budget to make sure that the objectives of the program can be met and the program can run smoothly till course completion.

• The program is in an institutional environment that facilitates enhanced learning and professional productivity to ensure that students can become competent professionals.

• All faculties are qualified to provide students with a level of instruction, supervision, and evaluation that is compatible with safe practice and student learning needs.

• The midwifery program of the institution is consistent with the norms of the American College of Nurse-Midwives .

Oregon Health & Science University

Portland, Oregon

The Portland metropolitan area is well known for its affinity towards midwives. In fact, the Nurse-Midwife Faculty Practice of the Oregon Health and Science University has attended approximately 20 percent of the births in the area for over 30 years.

Students attending the Midwifery program have access to the intimate experience of this long standing practice, and will work one-on-one with mentors in lactation clinics, birthing rooms, and mother-baby units. Students can expect to obtain over 1,000 hours of clinical experience.

The majority of students who apply to the program will already have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. However, for those who do not, an Accelerated Bachelors Program/Nurse-Midwifery Graduate Program is available. Both the accelerated track and the standard graduate degree include the option to pursue a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, which adds an additional year to the educational timeframe after certification.

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University Of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Completed over 58 credit hours and 7 semesters, this ACME-accredited nursing midwifery program is designed for full-time students who dont have pressing commitments or jobs outside of the program. You have 40 hours per week of clinical practice experience, amassing at least 720 hours in total. This nurse midwifery program is perfect for nurses who like to be hands-on rather than spending all day studying in their school of nursing.

Goals Of The Accreditation Commission For Midwifery Education

The Commission aims to provide the best health care practices in childbirth and maternity. It promotes quality education in midwife degree programs to build dexterous professionals in the field. The crucial goals of the commission are given.

• Ensure that all programs offering midwifery education abide by their objectives and mission.

• Development of proficient training skills to raise better professionals in midwifery practices.

• Cultivate the consistent advancement and change in the nature of midwifery education programs.

• Unite midwives in practice and in training through a movement coordinated toward enhancing instructive arrangement for midwifery practice.

• Welcome changes and issues in the accreditation process to constantly improve the standards.

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Online Midwifery Program Admissions Requirements

While there are several different paths you can take to become licensed and certified midwife, the most thorough and comprehensive programs focus on training and certification for CNMs. This means admissions officers are looking for candidates that meet the following criteria:

• A Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from an accredited university or college
• An active registered nurses license in good standing
• A minimum amount of work experience as an RN

Programs for CM certifications have comparable requirements but do not require an active RN license for admission.

In some cases, colleges and universities will allow applicants to obtain both an RN and midwifery certificate at the same time. In these cases, the CNM certificate generally is treated as an RN specialty option similar to the Family Nurse Certificate .

Some schools also offer doctoral programs in nursing practice that specialize in midwifery. While there are BSN-DNP methods, most DNP programs are designed online for RN with MSN degrees seeking a Ph.D. without a Ph.D. These programs tend to be longer and more expensive than similar MSN based programs.

Nyu College Of Nursing

Based on the American College of Nurse-Midwives core competencies for nursing midwifery clinical practice, this small yet diverse school of nursing is based in New York, so its ideal for future nurse practitioners who want to earn their degree in nursing midwifery while enjoying the Big Apple. Boasting 100% pass rates for previous years, this is quite possibly the best nurse midwifery program in New York!

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University Of Colorado Denver/anschutz Medical Campus

Denver, Colorado

The accredited graduate level Nurse-Midwife program offered at the University of Colorado leads to a post-graduate certificate upon graduation.

A total of 48 credits must be completed which includes 30 credits of core courses, 10 credits of AP courses, and 26 credits of AP nurse-midwifery courses. This does not include clinical hours.

Some course examples may include Foundations of Healthcare Informatics, Advanced Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Primary Health Care of Children: Well Child Care, Care of the High Risk Pregnancy, and Womens Gynecologic Health Care.

Students may enroll in this program full or part-time and also have an online option. For students taking distance classes, clinical hours may be completed at a local facility. GRE test scores may be waived for this program if the student applying has 12 or more graduate level courses.

Columbia University In The City Of New York

New York, New York

Since its founding in 1955 as one of the first midwifery programs in the country, the program has prepared its students for all aspects of pregnancy and delivery, from well-woman gynecology, to antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum depression.

Offered through the Columbia School of Nursing, graduates are exposed to intense clinical situations in order to turn theory into practice and classroom lectures into reality. At the end of the program students will be prepared to sit for the national certifying examination administered by the American Midwifery Certification Board.

The Nurse Midwifery Program at Columbia University has over 60 years of experience providing comprehensive theoretical and clinical exposure to its students.

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Nurse Midwife Careers And Salary

One of the most intriguing aspects of choosing a degree program is the end result. Students that are considering nurse midwifery programs want to know their career capabilities and salary potential prior to choosing the right program. Nursing is a great field to find potentially profitable careers, so higher level nursing specialties tend to pay more on average. We have gathered data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to assist learners with getting a better idea of their potential earnings after graduation. In addition to the positions listed below, graduates can possibly pursue careers with family nutrition services, parental counseling and education, and even postnatal care.

• Certified Nurse Midwife â $104,740 on average per year according to the BLS
• Director of Nurse Midwifery Programs â $94,500 on average per year according to the BLS
• Doctor of Nursing Practice â Nurse Midwife â $101,260 on average per year according to the BLS

Help Us!

Please be sure to contact us if you have a certified nurse midwife program to add, or an adjustment to a program we have on our site!

Case Western Reserve University

CWRUs Nurse Midwifery Program runs for 7 to 8 semesters, offering a tough but flexible schedule for RNs looking to train as a nurse midwife. 49 credit hours are available on this RN to CNM course, and there are also Post-Masters certifications available if you meet certain criteria. If you take 4 additional clinical hours for NURS 559, you can also be dual-certified in Womens Health! This program gives a future CNM a broad understanding of birthing procedures and women-centered healthcare.

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Ranking The Best Online Nurse Midwifery Programs

To rank the Top 13 Online Nurse Midwifery Programs, Top RN to BSN researched online, hybrid, and low-residency nurse midwifery MSN and DNP programs across the US, choosing only those with regional certification, as well as many with ACME certification. We then ranked programs according to three factors:

• Cost: current tuition
• Reputation: current Niche score
• Return on Investment: current alumni salaries

This combination provides the best balance of quality, affordability, and job-market authority for nurse-midwifery graduates.

What Are The Admissions And Certification Requirements

Admissions requirements for most nurse midwifery programs include:

• Official transcripts from all colleges attended
• BSN from an accredited college or university
• Current active RN license
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
• Three letters of reference
• Personal goal statement
• At least one year of professional nursing experience

In order to gain certification as a nurse midwife, RNs must pass the examination put forth by the American Midwifery Certification Board. Eligibility requirements include:

• Proof of licensure as an RN
• Satisfactory completion of an ACME-accredited nurse midwifery graduate degree
• Verification by the director of the nurse midwifery program confirming that the candidate has completed the degree along with the date that it was completed

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University Of New Mexico

Albuquerque, New Mexico

The UNM Midwives have been providing pregnancy and well-woman care to the community since 1975. Only available as a full-time program, the School of Medicines Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology offers a Master of Science in Nursing with a Certification in Nurse-Midwifery.

This six term graduate program requires 55 credit hours and over 1,000 hours of clinical experience before graduation. Students who are applying should have a minimum of one year experience as a registered nurse. With nearly 1/3 of all the births in New Mexico being attended by a midwife, and over 10,000 births at the UNM Hospital, clinical experience will be easily obtained.

The majority of courses are also easily completed, given that theyre available in an online format. Classroom teaching is grouped into 1-3 week long blocks interspersed with clinical blocks of 4-5 weeks. Students will have the opportunity for a more personalized experience with small class sizes of 8 10 students.

What Can I Do As A Midwife

Midwife programs train students to provide gynecological care for women of various ages. Learners prepare to assess and manage maternal and fetal health during pregnancy, attend low-risk births, and provide postpartum care to mothers and newborns. Nurse-midwives may also act as womens primary healthcare providers. These professionals often work in hospitals, clinics, community health organizations, and independent practices.

Midwifery practitioners include certified nurse-midwives , certified midwives , and certified professional midwives . CNMs and CMs complete similar graduate-level training and often work in conventional healthcare settings, such as hospitals. CPMs specialize in assisting during out-of-hospital births, usually serving clients in birth centers and homes.

Graduates of accredited midwifery programs qualify to sit for national certification exams. The American Midwifery Certification Board certifies CNMs and CMs, while the North American Registry of Midwives certifies CPMs. Requirements for licensure vary by state, but most states require midwives to hold national certification.

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