Direct entry (lay) midwife?

klone, MSN, RN · Sep 29, 2004

What is a Direct entry (lay) midwife? How does this differ from a midwife in general? Is she just less experienced or less education? Any input would be great. Thanks.
Kimberly

A lay midwife is not schooled at a formal school that awards nationally recognized degrees (such as a school where you would earn an CNM).

A lay midwife can have a LOT of informal schooling, or she can have none at all. She may have gained her training through an apprenticeship with an experienced midwife. With a lay midwife, there really is no standard, so you have to be very cautious and interview her well, get information about her training and experience.

There is also something called a CPM (certified professional midwife) that many states are now starting to offer/recognize. I *believe* that after a certain amount of training/experience, she can take a test (or perhaps interview in front of a board, I'm not totally clear on the certification process), and be awarded a CPM if she's found to have a minimum competency/level of experience. She may not have any FORMAL schooling in order to earn a CPM, but she's been found to have a minimum level of compentency/training/experience.

Then there is the CNM (certified nurse midwife), which is a Master's degree awarded by an accredited university.

HTH

RN2CNM · Oct 7, 2004

What is a Direct entry (lay) midwife? How does this differ from a midwife in general? Is she just less experienced or less education? Any input would be great. Thanks.
I am currently on the path to becoming a certified nurse midwife and thought that this site may interest you.
http://www.midwife.org/week/thursday.cfm
The big difference is that a CNM is has a nursing background and has gone through a lot of school and has a Master's degree. A CPM or lay midwife only goes through a short program and then takes a test, but has no nursing background and may not have any experience with healthcare.
The website is the American College of Nurse Midwives and is the credentialing organization for nurse midwives. The link I posted above goes straight to a paragraph that compares the two types of midwives. The entire website is very interesting if you have time to browse it.
Just curious, are you trying to find a midwife or are you asking with a career focus in mind? I will be glad to give you more information if you would like. Just let me know.

naggytabby, BSN, RN · Oct 7, 2004

please go to http://www.acnm.org. there you will find a listing of schools, incleding one that certifies CNM and CPM (certified professional midwives) as well. then go to http://www.midwiferytoday.com and look at info on midwives. Also try the MEAC website (soory, braindaeath and i cannot remember the website) and look them over- they certify midwives.

each state has different rules and re4gs regarding whether CPMs can practice or not.

have fun!

mitchsmom · Oct 7, 2004

A CPM or lay midwife only goes through a short program and then takes a test, but has no nursing background and may not have any experience with healthcare.

Just for further clarification, a CPM and lay mw are not the same thing. Lay midwives may have no formal certification, whereas CPM's do.

There are really three main categories of mw's:

1. CNM's;

2. non-nurse midwives with some sort of certification (CPM's, liscensed mw's, etc. - it can vary according to program, state you are in, etc. CPM's must take the NARM exam for certification.

3. lay midwives "The term "Lay Midwife" has been used to designate an uncertified or unlicensed midwife who was educated through informal routes such as self-study or apprenticeship rather than through a formal program. This term does not necessarily mean a low level of education, just that the midwife either chose not to become certified or licensed, or there was no certification available for her type of education (as was the fact before the Certified Professional Midwife credential was available)."

It can be really confusing!

This is a GREAT page of midwifery definitions:

http://www.mana.org/definitions.html

chloebrowns · Oct 7, 2004

Hi to all of you -Those websites were all really informatve and interesting to read and being a newbie thats exactly what i am after - what a great forum. :)

Krojas21 · Oct 7, 2004

Thanks everyone! You have all help me those are some great sites. Just to let you all know I was interested because in my Nursing theory class we had an assingment that talked about a direct entry (lay) midwife and I had never heard the term used before. I knew about CNM, and I didn't realize that there were other forms of midwives. Thanks for all your imput.

BabyRN2Be · Oct 7, 2004

Just the other day I had sent a page that gave the guidlelines from state to state defining midwifery (CNM, CPM, DEM, etc.). Of course, I can't find it right now but I might be able to post it later if I find it.

mitchsmom · Oct 9, 2004

State by state guide to midwifery in the united states:

http://www.cfmidwifery.org/states/

Is this the link you were thinking of BabyRN2Be?

mitchsmom · Oct 9, 2004

I'm not sure if we actually defined direct-entry midwife:

"Direct-Entry Midwife (DEM)

A direct-entry midwife is an independent practitioner educated in the discipline of midwifery through self-study, apprenticeship, a midwifery school, or a college- or university-based program distinct from the discipline of nursing. 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."