Until now, Missouri was among 10 states and the District of Columbia that prohibited "direct-entry midwives" — those who enter the profession directly without medical or nursing degrees, according to the North American Registry of Midwives.
The study, published in the British Medical Journal, followed 5,418 women expecting to deliver at home in 2000 with the aid of midwives certified by the North American Registry of Midwives.
Direct-Entry Midwives (DEMS) are licensed to practice in at least 18 states after certification with the Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) credential through the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM), who has developed a stringent curriculum and testing procedure to educate and test direct-entry midwives.
The North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) is the first certifying body to offer both a national examination and a national validation process for professional direct-entry midwives who come to their practices through multiple educational routes, including apprenticeship.
As of October 4, 1994, at the suggestion of the Midwives' Alliance of North America (MANA) and the recommendation of the Certification Task Force created by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) and the Midwifery Education and Accreditation Council (MEAC), NARM announces that the title of the midwives who receive NARM certification will change from Unified Midwife (CM) to Certified Professional Midwife (CPM).
The certified midwife has demonstrated competency in the skills required for midwifery practice and has passed the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) Examination.
places the process of certification of direct-entry midwives in the hands of the midwives themselves through the guidelines set down by MANA and the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM).
Whereas the North American Registry of Midwives, the American College of Nurse Midwifery Certification Corporation, and other midwifery credentialing bodies have been established to provide such validation, MANA supports their activities in developing examinations and ongoing certification processes relevant in midwifery practice.
