Educational Pathways
Thank you for considering the path of midwifery. West Virginian women need you!
MAWV recognizes the need for more midwives throughout the state, and strives to assist
and guide students throughout their pathway to midwifery. We hope you find the
information in this section useful for advancing your midwifery education.
Direct Entry Midwives (DEMs)
DEMs utilize a variety of educational pathways, including apprenticeships, accredited
and unaccredited midwifery schools and programs, and self study. DEMs work primarily
out of the hospital, in a home birth setting. Each state has different rules and
regulations for DEMs.
Contact us if you have questions about finding a Mentor!
The Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC) accredits schools that train DEMs and CPMs.
Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs)
The CPM credential was created by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) to
provide an educational certification for DEMs. Midwives seeking the CPM credential also
have a variety of training options available including apprenticeships, accredited and
unaccredited midwifery schools and programs, and self study. In their training, CPMs
must complete educational core content requirements, skills requirements, and
experiential training to include home births. CPMs must sit for a national certifying exam
and complete NARMs Portfolio Evaluation Process (PEP). The typical time required to
complete this training is 3-5 years. CPMs primarily practice in home birth settings.
Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs)/Certified Midwives (CMs)
Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) are advanced practice registered nurses who hold a graduate degree (Masters or higher), which may be in Nursing and/or in Midwifery. Certified Midwives (CMs) have an equivalent level of training and a graduate degree, but CMs are not nurses. Typical nurse-midwifery graduate programs take 24 months to complete (after completion of a basic RN program and undergraduate degree), however, there are accelerated education programs that combine the RN training and midwifery specialization, awarding a graduate degree. The majority of CNMs/CMs practice in hospitals and birth centers. CNMs are licensed in all states; CMs are licensed in fewer than 10 states. In most states CNMs are regulated by the Board of Nursing, as is the case in West Virginia.
CNM Programs in WV:
In partnership with Shenandoah University, both Marshall University School of Nursing and West Virginia Wesleyan offer a CNM program at the master's degree level.
​
​American College of Nurse Midwives
​