Midwives,
defined...
We are blessed to have many practicing midwives in our community. We value all of the community midwives' contributions to the care of clients in the greater Phoenix area, and we are honored to be part of this loving birth community. Here, we will define the different types of midwife providers you may encounter in the out-of-hospital birth setting in Arizona.
Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)
Adrienne and Jenna, your Kindred Midwives, are both Certified Nurse Midwives.
Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNM) are Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) who have acquired the formal education, extended knowledge base and clinical skills beyond the registered nurse level to practice in an advanced role as direct health care providers. Certified Nurse Midwives can practice in any setting and attend births in hospitals, birth centers, and home birth settings. They also have prescriptive authority to order, prescribe, and administer any medication.
A Certified Nurse Midwife:
🌺 Is certified by the board (Arizona Board of Nursing).
🌺 Has completed a nurse midwife education program approved or recognized by the board and educational requirements prescribed by the board by rule (4 years of undergraduate university and 2-3 years of graduate university education).
🌺 Holds a national certification as a certified nurse midwife from a national certifying body recognized by the board (American Midwifery Certification Board).
🌺 Has an expanded scope of practice in the provision of health care services for women from adolescence to beyond menopause, including antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum, reproductive, gynecologic and primary care, for normal newborns during the first twenty-eight days of life and for men for the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.
🌺 Does not need a supervising physician to practice independently.
For more information on CNM Scope of Practice in the state of Arizona, please visit:
https://www.azbn.gov/scope-of-practice/faqs
For more information about CNMs, please visit the American College of Nurse Midwives:
Certified Professional Midwives (CPM) & Licensed Midwives (LM)
Certified Professional Midwives (CPM):
🌺 are midwives who have been educated through a variety of routes (apprenticeship or clinical programs). CPMs have taken a certification exam to attain the CPM credentials, through the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM). They are also licensed through the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Licensed Midwives (LM):
🌺 are midwives who have been continuously licensed as a midwife by the Arizona Department of Health Services since 1999. These midwives have decades of experience, and were grandfathered in and not required to obtain CPM certification (specific to Arizona).
For Arizona specific information regarding midwife licensing, please visit the Arizona Department of Health Services:
https://www.azdhs.gov/licensing/special/midwives/index.php
For more information on Certified Professional Midwives, visit North American Registry of Midwives:
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