Midwives are professionals with expertise and skills in supporting people to maintain healthy pregnancies and have optimal births and recoveries during the postpartum period. Midwives provide people with individualized care uniquely suited to their physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and cultural needs. Midwifery is a person-centered empowering model of reproductive care that is practiced worldwide, and countries with high use of midwifery care – such as The Netherlands, United Kingdom and Canada – have the among the best maternal and infant outcomes in the world.

Midwives provide care throughout the lifecycle, from the beginning of menstruation through menopause and beyond for all reproductive health needs.

What type of midwives are there?

California licenses two types of midwives: Nurse Midwives and Licensed Midwives.

Nurse Midwives are registered nurses (RNs) who obtain advanced education in midwifery. Today, all new nurse-midwives receive a master’s or doctoral degree and pass a national certification examination to become a Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM). Nurse midwives can be licensed in all states.

Licensed Midwives are “direct entry” midwives who obtain specialized education in midwifery without first being licensed as RNs. Their education programs are distinct from nurse-midwife programs, and they also take a national certification examination to become a Certified Professional Midwife. Direct entry midwives can be licensed in 33 states.

For more information about midwife education in California, you can visit this page.