What Is a CPM?

A Certified Professional Midwife, or CPM, is a U.S. credential created in the 1990s for people who primarily attend births outside hospitals. The first CPM credential was issued in 1994.

Education

The minimum educational requirement to become a CPM is a high school diploma or equivalent.

A nursing degree is not required.

A college degree is not required.

A graduate degree is not required.

A CPM does not have to graduate from an accredited midwifery school.

No pathway exists that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education

Training

A person can become a CPM through an apprenticeship pathway rather than a college or certification program.

In NARM's apprenticeship pathway, more than half of the required birth experiences before the primary-supervision phase are completed as an observer or assistant. The initial observer births can include births attended as a doula, friend, family member, or beginning student, and may be verified by any witness who was present.

Clinical skills are ultimately documented and signed off by NARM-registered preceptors. NARM is not accredited to approve preceptors. NARM allows for preceptors who are practicing in states where practice is illegal. Some CPMs have paid preceptors for signatures and no checks and balance exist to ensure that practice doesn’t occur.

Hospital Training

A CPM is not required to complete clinical hours in a hospital. They can observe 2 hospital births.

The credential is specifically designed for out-of-hospital practice.

Is a CPM a Nurse?

No.

A CPM does not have to be a nurse.

A Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) is a registered nurse with graduate-level midwifery education.

A Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) can enter the profession with a high school education and apprenticeship-based training.

Both credentials contain the word “Certified.”

They do not represent the same education or clinical preparation.