How is Midwifery regulated in Montana?

Direct-entry midwives are licensed by the Montana Board of Alternative Healthcare.  They need to attend a Direct-entry Midwifery Education program, pass an exam administered by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM), and have practical experience attained in a clinical setting. They may be called a “direct-entry midwife” or a “licensed midwife” which are essentially the same thing.  The Board of Alternative Healthcare also licenses Apprentices who are in the process of being trained in the state of Montana.

What is a direct-entry midwife?

A direct-entry midwife is trained to provide the Midwives Model of Care™ to healthy women and newborns throughout the childbearing cycle primarily in out-of-hospital settings. Licensed midwives are equipped with necessary supplies for a safe birth such as pitocin to control hemorrhage, suture supplies, fetal-dopplers to monitor the fetal heart rate, and necessary drugs such as vitamin K, and eye ointment for the newborn. Licensed midwives are certified in neonatal and adult CPR, qualified to offer prenatal testing, and refer for ultrasound and further testing when deviations from normal occur.

What is a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM)?

The Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) credential indicates that the midwife has met the standards for certification set by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM). The CPM is the only international credential that requires knowledge about and experience of childbirth in an out of hospital settings.

  
What are the educational requirements of a midwifery school?

All midwifery school are slightly different in their requirements.  The Seattle Midwifery School is a MEAC accredited program. After completing a list of prerequisite college level courses in the sciences, (approx 2 years of college) an applicant can directly enter the program if they are accepted. Then there are 3 years of didactic work and 1500 hours of clinical care including attending 100 births while being a student midwife.  Direct-entry midwives take courses in many subjects including: physical assessment, nutrition, counseling, pharmacology and treatments, genetics and embryology, gynecology, professional issues (laws, ethics, business, etc), and Midwifery Care for pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and the newborn.