Table of Contents
- Overview
- Prevention
Alternative Names
Nurse midwife; CNM
Information
HISTORY OF THE PROFESSION
Nurse-midwifery dates back to 1925 in the United States. At that time, Mary Breckenridge developed the Frontier Nursing Service in Kentucky. The program used public health registered nurses, who had been educated in England, to staff nursing centers in the Appalachian mountains. The centers offered family health care services, as well as childbearing and delivery care, to residents in the area.
The first nurse-midwifery education program in the U.S. began in 1932 at the Maternity Center Association of New York City. The program enrolled public health nurses, and awarded its graduates a certificate in nurse-midwifery.
Today, all nurse-midwifery programs are in colleges and universities. Most nurse-midwives graduate at the Master's degree level. These programs must be accredited by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) in order for graduates to take the National Certification Examination.
Review Date: 09/02/2009
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of
Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of
Medicine; Susan Storck, MD, FACOG, Chief, Eastside Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound,
Redmond, Washington; Clinical Teaching Faculty, Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington School of
Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director,
A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
