Recent developments in professional midwifery education and credentialing

The American College of Nurse-Midwives, (ACNM), as a membership organization, and the ACNM Certification Council (ACC), as a credentialing agency, pursue independent but allied missions of expanding access to education for the practice of midwifery, while adhering to established standard of quality for education and clinical practice. The following recent actions taken by these agencies are presented for the information of the membership. 1) The Assured Equivalency Option, a mechanism through which nurse-midwives educated in countries other than the United States can demonstrate their competency and, as needed, acquire additional requisite didactic knowledge or clinical skills, leading to eligibility for national certification examination, is detailed. 2) The rationale for adoption of the multiple-choice format for the criterion-referenced national certification examination in nurse-midwifery and the methods used to determine the validity and reliability of the examination are described. 3) The award of a time-limited credential to those newly certified is offered as a policy statement of the ACC. 4) Deliberations and decisions leading to development of guidelines for the accreditation of non-nurse-midwifery education programs and credentialing as a professional midwife are recounted.