In Virginia
In Virginia, there are two main types of midwives: Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMS) and Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs).

CNMs are advanced practice nurses, have at least a bachelor’s degree in nursing and have successfully completed a university-affiliated nurse-midwifery program accredited by the American College of Nurse Midwives (www.midwife.org). CNMs provide primary health care to women including prenatal care, labor and delivery, postpartum care, and gynecological exams and have limited prescriptive authority. They most often practice either in hospitals or birthing centers and have been doing so in Virginia since 1976 (www.vamidwife.org/aboutus.html). CNMs are required to have a collaborative relationship with physicians and refer their patients to those physicians if complications arise during pregnancy or labor.

CPM are "knowledgeable, skilled and professional independent midwifery practitioners who have met the standards for certification set by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) and are qualified to provide the Midwives Model of Care. The CPM is the only international credential that requires knowledge about and experience in out-of-hospital settings". CPMs most often practice in homes and birth centers. CPMs in Virginia achieved licensure in 2005 and are regulated by the Board of Medicine with input from the Advisory Board on Midwifery (www.commonwealthmidwives.org/legislation.htm)

For more information on the history of midwifery care in Virginia, visit Commonwealth Midwives Alliance website and read their presentation – “Certified Professional Midwives: Our Past, Present and Future in Virginia”.