Midwifery-related organizations
The American College of Nurse-Midwives is the professional organization for nurse-midwives and certified midwives in the United States. The ACNM oversees training and certification of CNMs, publishes the only peer-reviewed journal for midwifery in North America and offers memberships to CNMs and interested others. The ACNM is your best source of information about nurse-midwifery training in the US. They can be found at www.midwife.org.
The Association of Radical Midwives is a British organization founded over 20 years ago by midwives who got fed up with the way birth was being handled in the UK. They can be reached at www.midwifery.org.uk. They sponsor study days, meetings and a great on-line journal entitled Midwifery Matters. Information about various midwifery organizations and agencies in the United Kingdom can be found at: www.facebook.com/pages/The-Association-of-Radical-Midwives.
The International Confederation of Midwives is an organization made up of member organizations of midwives from around the world. They hold a conference every 3 years. They can be found at www.internationalmidwives.org
Midwifery Education and Accreditation Council (MEAC) oversees the accreditation of programs to ensure that they can adequately prepare students to become Certified Professional Midwives. A complete list of accredited midwifery programs can be found on their website: www.meacschools.org.
Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) is a professional organization for all midwives, recognizing the diversity of educational backgrounds and practice styles within the profession. MANA’s goal is to unify and strengthen the profession of midwifery, thereby improving the quality of health care for women, babies, and communities. MANA also welcomes student and midwifery advocate members as another valuable part of the organization. Check them out at www.mana.org.
The North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) is the credentialing agency for direct entry midwifery in the United States. They provide the Certified Professional Midwive credential, a process that recognizes a diverse range of routes to practice, including apprentiseship, and focuses on the expertise needed to practice in home and other out-of-hospital settings. NARM’s website is located at www.narm.org.
INFORMATION ON CHILDBEARING (BIRTH) CENTERS IN THE UNITED STATES:
The American Association of Childbearing Centers has lots of information about starting a birth centers in the US. They provide an accreditation program as well. They can be found at www.birthcenters.org.
The American Association of Childbearing Centers has lots of information about starting a birth centers in the US. They provide an accreditation program as well. They can be found at www.birthcenters.org.