Direct-Entry Midwives (including Licensed Midwives)

1. Not required to be nurses.
2. Multiple routes of education (apprenticeship, workshops, formal classes or programs, etc., usually a combination).
3. May or may not have a college degree.
4. May or may not be certified by a state or national organization.
5. Legal status varies according to state.
6. Licensed or regulated in 26 states.
7. In most states licensed midwives are not required to have any practice agreement with a doctor.
8. Educational background requirements and licensing requirements vary by state.
9. By and large maintain autonomous practices outside of institutions.
10. Train and practice most often in home or out-of-hospital birth center settings.

For more information, contact your state’s midwifery organization or CFM.