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 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 proceed 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.

Upon successful completion of the CM Pathway courses and the MS in Midwife program, these students will be eligible to sit the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) exam to become Certified Midwives (CMs).

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 can be licensed in Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New York, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Virginia. Legislative initiatives are underway in a number of additional 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 midwife and to grow midwifery in the United States.

The Midwifery Institute at Jefferson 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.

Due to VISA restrictions, we are only able to accept U.S. citizens and permanent residents into our program at this time. Foreign-educated Midwives, who are also U.S. permanent residents, are encouraged to apply.