Before launching your career, discover the different routes to becoming a midwife—and exactly where NMI fits.
What Type of Midwife Do You Want to Be?
The word midwife derives from Old English mid (“with”) and wif (“woman”), translating directly to “with woman.” Midwives are skilled, independent professionals who provide primary care for gestational parents and newborns during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period, as well as gynecological wellness care.
In the United States, your educational journey depends entirely on whether you want to practice inside a traditional hospital system or within the community (home births and birth centers).
| Features | Direct-Entry Midwifery (NMI's Pathway) |
Certified Nurse-Midwifery (CNM) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Philosophy | Philosophy: The Midwives Model of Care; holistic, low-intervention, and client-centered approach. | Philosophy: Medical and nursing model; integrated clinical healthcare. |
| Primary Setting | Setting: Out-of-hospital (Homes and free-standing birth centers). | Setting: In-hospital (Labor & delivery units, clinics). |
| Nursing Degree Required? | Nursing Required?: ❌ No. You enter directly into midwifery training without a prior nursing background. | Nursing Required?: ✔️ Yes. You must be a Registered Nurse (RN) before entering a midwifery program. |
| Credential Earned | Credential: CPM (Certified Professional Midwife) or state licensed/registered midwife. | Credential: CNM (Certified Nurse-Midwife) or CM (Certified Midwife). |
| Accreditation Body | Accreditation: MEAC (Midwifery Education Accreditation Council) | Accreditation: ACME (Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education) |
What National Midwifery Institute IS NOT
NMI is not a nurse-midwifery program and is not accredited by ACME. If your ultimate goal is to work as a midwife in a traditional hospital setting, you require a different educational route:
Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM): Requires a registered nursing degree and an ACME-accredited graduate program. CNMs can legally practice in all 50 states, primarily in hospital systems.
Certified Midwife (CM): A non-nursing pathway accredited by ACME, currently recognized legally in a limited number of states (including NY, NJ, and MA).
NMI Graduate Scope of Practice
As an NMI graduate, your education meets the highest national and international benchmarks for community midwifery. You will be fully prepared to step into the scope of practice outlined by:
The NARM certification guidelines for the CPM credential.
State Licensing Boards: Our rigorous program meets or exceeds individual state requirements, including California's midwifery licensing standards (some of the strictest in the nation).
Global Standards: NMI graduates who achieve their CPM or state license meet the official International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) Definition and Scope of Practice.
Where Can You Legally Practice?
State regulations regarding direct-entry midwifery vary significantly across the country. Understanding your local legislative landscape is a crucial step in planning your future practice.
To see the specific regulating bodies, licensing requirements, and legal frameworks for your area, review our comprehensive state-by-state tracking data.
It helps to know that this path will get me where I want to be, in a competent and focused way.— An NMI Student
Ready to Pursue Community Midwifery?
If your heart is firmly rooted in out-of-hospital birth work, NMI is built explicitly for you.
