Apply for Approval of a Basic Midwifery Education Course

Application and Fee

To apply for approval of a basic midwifery education course, please submit a completed Basic Midwifery Education Course Application Form (PDF), along with the non-refundable application fee of $150.

Personnel Requirements

Course Supervisor/Administrator Requirements

A basic midwifery education course must be supervised and conducted by an individual who:

• Has 2 years of experience in the independent practice of midwifery, nurse-midwifery or obstetrics
• Has been the primary care-giver for at least 75 births including provision of prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care
• Meets one of the following requirements:
  • Is a licensed midwife in Texas
  • Is a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM)
  • Is certified by the American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM)
  • Is a licensed physician in Texas actively engaged in the practice of Obstetrics

Instructor Requirements

Didactic curriculum instructors must be approved by the course supervisor/administrator, and they must have training and credentials for the course material they will teach.

Preceptor Requirements

Preceptors listed on the course application form must be approved by the course supervisor/administrator and shall meet one of the following requirements:

(A) licensed midwives;

(B) certified professional midwives;

(C) certified nurse midwives; or

(D) physicians licensed in the United States and actively engaged in the practice of obstetrics.

Course Requirements

Mandatory basic midwifery education is intended to provide clinical experience/preceptorship of at least one year and prepare the student to become certified by NARM.

Successful completion of a basic education course should include at least the following activities:

• Serving as an active participant in attending 20 births
• Serving as the primary midwife, under supervision, in attending 20 additional births, at least 10 of which shall be out-of-hospital births
  • A minimum of 3 of the 20 births attended as primary midwife under supervision must be with women for whom the student has provided primary care during at least 4 prenatal visits, birth, newborn exam and one postpartum exam
• Serving as the primary midwife, under supervision, in performing the following activities:
  • 75 prenatal exams, including at least 20 initial history and physical exams
  • 20 newborn exams
  • 40 postpartum exams

Course Outline

Include with your application form a course outline that describes the sequence of the didactic and clinical preparations that students will follow, and include an estimated timeline for completion of the course.

Course Curriculum

Submit the course curriculum with the specific content referencing:

• MANA Core competencies
• NARM Written Text Specifications
• NARM Skills Assessment Test Specifications
• Texas Midwifery Basic Information and Instructor Manual
• Protocol Writing, Adaptation and Revision

The didactic component must:

• Be based upon and completely cover the most current Core Competencies and Standards of Practice of the Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) and the current Texas Midwifery Basic Information Manual (PDF)
• Prepare the student to apply for certification by North American Registry of Midwives (NARM)
• Include a minimum of 250 hours course work

Teaching Sites

On the application form, you must identify and provide information about the didactic and preceptorship teaching sites that will be used that will be used in the instruction of this course.

Financial Information

Include with your application form a financial statement or balance sheet (information must be from within the last year) for the course supervisor/administrator or course owner, along with the disclosure of any bankruptcy within the last five years.

Written Policies

Submit the following written policies:

• Tuition schedule, including other charges
• Cancellation and refund policy
• Student attendance, progress, and grievance policies
• Rules of operation and conduct of school personnel
• Requirements for state licensure
• Disclosure of approval status of course
• Maintenance of student files
• Reasonable Access for non-English speakers
• Compliance with Federal and State laws on accessibility.

Education Site Visit

If your Basic Midwifery Education Course application is approved, then you will be issued a provisional license which will be good for one year. Once you have students enrolled, within the one-year provisional approval period, you will need to submit a Site Visit/Inspection Request form which will be provided at the time of approval. The form will need to be submitted along with the required fee of $500.00. The site visit is conducted by a member of the department staff and a licensed midwife. The site visit will include the following:

• an inspection of the course's facilities;
• a review of its teaching plan, protocols, and teaching materials;
• a review of didactic and preceptorship instruction;
• interviews with staff and students; and
• a review of student, staff and preceptor files, to include coursework, protocols, and financial records.

If the site visit/inspection is approved, you will be issued approval of the course.