Students applying for admission to NMI must have earned a High School Diploma (its equivalent or above) and obtained a Foundational Understanding of Midwifery.

High School Diploma, Equivalent, or Above

Documentation for High School Diploma or Equivalent

Students applying for admission to NMI must have earned a high school diploma, its equivalent, or have a higher education diploma to be eligible for admission into the NMI Certificate Program. 

Applicants must verify completion of high school or its equivalent by submitting one of the following to the NMI office:

  • A High School diploma or transcript showing high school graduation. In place of a diploma or transcript, a letter from a school official on school letterhead stationary indicating high school graduation and date is acceptable as proof of high school completion.

  • If you earned a GED (General Education Diploma) contact the state in which you successfully passed the GED and request a transcript or verification of your GED.

Documentation of College Degree

Applicants who have earned a college degree can apply with submission of an official college transcript. To be acceptable, college degrees must have been received from accredited schools or from schools that meet accreditation standards. You may wish to check the U.S. Department of Education’s database of accredited institutions and programs.

Foreign and Non-Accredited Schools

Applicants who completed their education outside of the United States whose transcripts are in a language other than English should apply, for a fee, to a private education evaluation organization recognized by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) for a statement of degree equivalency.

The following is a list of private organizations prepared by NACES that evaluate foreign educational credits for employment and other purposes. All charge a fee based on the extent of the education to be evaluated. The list is provided for general information and may not be all-inclusive. NMI does not endorse any particular service.

Foundational Understanding of Midwifery

Students can demonstrate a foundational understanding of Midwifery in one of the following ways:

  1. Completion of Heart & Hands Beginner and Advanced Intensives;

  2. An alternative approved course (see below); OR

  3. Evidence documenting understanding of objectives through an “Objectives Based Alternative Pathway Review” (OBAP).

This requirement is WAIVED for all Transfer Students who have completed at least one trimester, one semester, or two quarters at a MEAC accredited school.

Heart & Hands Beginner and Advanced Intensives

Preferred prerequisite. Students must submit a certificate of completion demonstrating that they have successfully completed Heart & Hands Beginner and Advanced. Cost of this program is the responsibility of the student, is to be paid directly to Heart & Hands, and is separate from tuition for NMI’s Midwifery Certificate Program. 

For more information about this program, please visit the Heart & Hands website.

"I loved Heart and Hands. It’s why I chose NMI as a school. I learned a lot from Elizabeth Davis and thought it was a very good midwifery primer. What an excellent teacher. There were some moments in that class that I’ll never forget." ~ an NMI student

Alternative Approved Courses

Students must submit a certificate of completion demonstrating that they have successfully completed one of the courses listed below. Cost of these programs is the responsibility of the student, is to be paid directly to the chosen organization, and is separate from tuition for NMI’s Midwifery Certificate Program. 

For more information about this program, please visit the following websites:

Objectives Based Alternative Pathway (OBAP)

NMI is dedicated to the accessibility of midwifery education and does not intend for prerequisite requirements to serve as an unreasonable barrier to student enrollment. NMI recognizes that there are many ways of learning and knowing, and values the experience and other forms of training prospective students may have. 

NMI Application guide

Students selecting the OBAP method must describe or list the midwifery related training, instruction, self-study, coursework, life experience, certification, licensure, or other means by which they’ve gained a survey level understanding of the following objectives from a midwifery perspective.

1. Sexual Health and Well Person Care

  • Human sexuality throughout the life cycle, with an emphasis on fertility and hormonal changes, such as:

    • hormonal underpinnings of menstrual cycle

    • physiology of sexual response during childbearing cycle

    • impact of sexual abuse on childbearing

    • hormonal and sexual changes throughout lifecycle

  • Comprehensive care of non-pregnant clients, such as:

    • Elements of a comprehensive health, obstetric, gyn history

    • Familiarity with common gyn problems, indication for referral

    • Familiarity with all forms of family planning

    • Methodology and interpretation of the following: 

      • Pap smear

      • Indications for vaginal/cervical cultures

      • bimanual assessment

      • breast/chest exam

2. Pregnancy and Prenatal Care

  • The essential components of initial and routine prenatal caregiving, such as:

    • Basic structures of reproductive anatomy, landmarks of pelvis

    • Prenatal exam, including initial interview, physical assessment, health history, charting techniques, indications for referral, methods for estimating due date, rationale for prenatal assessments (urine, bp, pulse, weight gain/loss), lab tests, screening, and interpretation of results

    • Key stages of fetal development, and the terms regarding relationship of fetus to birth giver pelvis (position, lie, attitude, presentation, presenting part, denominator)

    • Technique and rationale for assessing fundal height

    • Leopold’s maneuvers/ abdominal palpation

    • Appropriate techniques to assess and response to abnormal findings for estimated fetal weight, amniotic fluid volume, uterine structure, multiple gestation, physiological vs. pathological edema

    • Fetal heart auscultation techniques for beat per minute rate and FHT variation

    • Nutritional requirements in pregnancy and nutritional counseling techniques, considering limited resources, dietary and cultural preferences, psychological factors

    • Purpose, features, appropriate frequency of prenatal assessments, home visits, and caregiving in each trimester

    • Legal implications and appropriate content of professional disclosure and informed consent documents

3. Labor

  • Essentials of facilitating and assessing normal labor, such as:

    • Universal precautions

    • Stages of labor and physical and emotional responses of the birthing person

    • Birthing person’s needs in labor (nutrition, rest, hydration, activity), common techniques for facilitating labor progress, comfort measures

    • Cardinal movements of the fetus during labor

    • Significance of and response to vomiting in labor

    • Significance of and response to meconium staining in the amniotic fluid in labor

    • Ways to prevent perineal tears

    • Hand maneuvers that may be needed to assist the birth

    • Key factors in stabilizing the newborn and birthing person in the immediate postpartum period

  • Identification of and appropriate response to common complications of labor, delivery, and birth, such as:

    • Newborn microbiome and how to preserve it

    • Indications and contraindications for intramuscular injections of oxytocics

4. Birth and Immediate Postpartum

  • Immediate care of the newborn, such as:

    • Essential elements of newborn exam

    • APGAR scoring, significance of and response to abnormal findings

    • Ways to effectively transfer care and work with back up

    • principles of client advocacy and informed choice

  • How to care for gestational parents and newborns in the postpartum period, such as:

    • Identify and respond to first, second, third, and fourth degree vaginal tears

    • Postpartum instructions for parent(s), including effective post-care of vaginal/perineal repair by gestational parent

    • Physiology of postpartum recovery

    • Crucial  assessments of gestational parent and baby on day 1, day 3, day 7, and 6 weeks postpartum

    • Physiology of milk production and how to promote successful lactation and infant feeding

    • Differentiate between engorgement and mastitis

    • Differentiate between postpartum blues and postpartum depression

    • Understand grieving process and appropriate techniques for grief counseling

    • Effective ways to help clients debrief their birth experiences

    • Strategies for midwife-client conflict resolution, including legal implications of unresolved or inappropriately handled conflict

View NMI’s Application Guide for sample responses and additional instructions to guide your application.

To learn more, view the NMI Handbook.