The Certified Midwife Credential and the Case for National Implementation

Midwifery is a distinct profession. The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) recognizes this.1 The Association ofWomen’sHealth,Obstetric andNeonatalNurses recognizes this.2 Historically, in the United States, formal recognition of midwifery’s separate professional status came in 1955 through the formation of the American College of Nurse-Midwifery (now the American College of Nurse-Midwives [ACNM]). Full recognition of this status came in 1994. At that time, the ACNMDivision of Accreditation (ACNMDOA, now the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education [ACME]) developed standards for education programs to prepare midwives who had backgrounds other than nursing, and the ACNMCertification Council (ACC, now the American Midwifery Certification Board [AMCB]) amended its policies to allow persons without nursing backgrounds who completed an ACNM DOA-accredited midwifery education program to sit for the ACC national certification examination.3,4 Thus, the certified midwife (CM) credential was created by ACNM. This commentary was written by a geographically diverse group of certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and CMs, all of whom strongly support recognition of midwifery as its own profession. The commentary argues for national implementation of the CM credential as a vital part of this recognition. It demonstrates the burden of requiring nursing education for midwives; discusses how CMs are educated and work; positions United States midwifery within the global midwifery community, which is not limited to nurse-midwifery; and, finally, shows that arguments posited against implementation of the CM credential are flawed.