Introduction
We are pleased to add a new route of entry to our existing midwifery education program for individuals prepared at the bachelor’s level who want to become midwives. These students will be able to sit the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) exam to become Certified Midwives (CMs) after successful completion of our program. These students have different learning needs compared to students who enter as registered nurses. To meet these learning needs, we have developed foundational courses for such students who will then segue way into our existing midwifery master’s or post master’s certificate education program after successful completion of the CM Pathway. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in any discipline and demonstrate that they have met all of the required prerequisites to midwifery education prior to admission.

Please see CM Pathway Admission Criteria.

CM Educational and Regulatory Issues
While the certified midwife credential has been in existence for more than a decade, growth of this group of midwives has been hampered by state regulatory issues and a dearth of educational programs. However, a renewed media interest in normal birth and midwifery and a sense of midwifery as its own discipline has opened a window of opportunity. CMs are legally recognized in New York, Rhode Island and New Jersey. Legislative initiatives are underway in a number of states to obtain legal recognition of the Certified Midwife credential. We wish to take advantage of this opportunity to expand the educational pathways for becoming a CM and to grow midwifery in America. The Midwifery Institute of Philadelphia University is currently the only distance learning program offering the CM option to a national pool of qualified candidates. Because this credential is not yet widely recognized, students who take this educational pathway are true pioneers in the discipline and will help our efforts to pave the way to make more midwives available to the women of America.