- Midwives who are certified by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) are prepared to provide competent, appropriate and comprehensive primary health care to women from adolescence through their post-menopausal years; assume responsibility for the management of essentially normal neonates; and manage collaboratively the care of clients with selected obstetrical, gynecologic, and medical problems. The increasing consumer demand for midwifery services throughout the United States has created practice opportunities within a variety of clinical settings. Midwives work in private or group practices, home birth practices, birth centers, health maintenance organizations, hospitals, ambulatory care centers. Although Certified Midwives (CMs)/Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) are independent practitioners, they consult and collaborate with physicians and initiate referrals as appropriate.
Programs of Study
The Midwifery Education Program is a five semester full-time or 7 semester part-time graduate level program that prepares students to become competent beginning practitioners in accordance with the standards established by the ACNM. Students may select one of three programs of study: the Advanced Certificate in Midwifery (38 credits), the Master of Science degree in Midwifery (50 credits) or the Master of Science degree in Nursing with concentration in Nurse Midwifery (52 credits). Graduates of any of the three programs of study are eligible to take the National Certifying Examination administered by the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB), www.amcbmidwife.org. All programs of study can be completed on a full time or part time basis.
This program evolved from the first nurse-midwifery school in the United States. Initially founded in 1931 at the Maternity Center Association (MCA) in New York City, the program moved to Kings County Hospital in 1958 and soon became an integral part of the Downstate Medical Center. When the College of Health Related Professions was established less than a decade later, the nurse-midwifery program became one of its first academic units.
The faculty has developed and adopted a curriculum which recognizes the special needs of adult learners and builds upon previous education and experience related to women's health. Clinical practice is provided at a variety of facilities within the New York City metropolitan area. Special provisions are also possible for clinical placements outside New York City and New York State. A 2:1 student/academic faculty ratio and a 1:1 student/clinical faculty ratio are maintained within the clinical laboratory settings. The faculty works collaboratively with the College of Medicine's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and shares teaching/learning resources with other programs within the College of Health Related Professions and the College of Nursing.
Since 1996, qualified non-nurses who desire to become certified midwives may also enter the program. At the completion of the program, all nurse and non-nurse students will have achieved the same theoretical and clinical competencies at comparable levels of performance and may apply for licensure to practice midwifery in New York. Non-nurse midwives, however, may not receive automatic reciprocity from other states; thus, once licensed, their professional practice may be limited to those states with specific statutes recognizing certified midwives who are not registered nurses.
All program tracks have been approved and registered by the New York State Department of Education and accredited by the ACNM Division of Accreditation. For additional information regarding ACNM DOA accreditation, please contact:
8403 Colesville Rd., Suite 1550, Silver Spring, MD 20910
Tel. (240) 485-1800.
http://www.acnm.org
The program HEGIS code 1203.10. The program registration number for the Advanced Certificate in Midwifery is 12042. The registration number for the Master of Science Degree in Midwifery is 21570.
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