DIRECT-ENTRY
MIDWIVES:
LEGAL STATUS
BY STATE
Direct-entry midwives are the
experts in out-of-hospital birth.
Therefore, states that do not license and regulate direct-entry midwives make home birth a much less attainable option for
expectant parents.
Licensed and regulated
No state licensure available
High School Diploma + MEAC Accredited Midwifery Program OR Portfolio Evaluation Process
HOME BIRTH PRACTITIONERS
CERTIFIED NURSE MIDWIFE
B.S. Nursing + ACME Accredited Nurse Midwifery Program
OBSTETRICIAN
Doctorate of Medicine
Certified by American Midwifery Certification Board
Certified by American Midwifery Certification Board
May attend to home births or birth centers
LAY/TRADITIONAL MIDWIFE
No educational requirement
Typically trained via apprenticeship
No licensing/regulating body
Attend to home births
Lay midwives in the U.S. practice illegally
CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL MIDWIFE
Bachelors Degree in health related field
+ ACME Accredited Midwifery Program
Clinical experience of at least 50 births
Certified by North American Registry of Midwives (NARM)
May attend to home births or birth centers
Qualified to perform surgical procedures
Attend to in-hospital births (most common)
May attend to home births and birth centers
Attend to in-hospital births (most common)
May attend to home births and birth centers
AN OVERVIEW OF BIRTH PRACTITIONERS IN THE UNITED STATES
"WITH WOMAN"
A DIRECT-ENTRY MIDWIFE IS NOT A....
IN-HOSPITAL PRACTITIONERS
Sources: American College of Nurse Midwives, American Midwifery Certification Board, Midwives Alliance of North America
Updated March 2019
May attend to in-hospital births in
DE, ME, NJ, NY, RI
Licensed & regulated by select states
CERTIFIED MIDWIFE
CMs/CNMs attended
8%
of all hospital births
in 2014