License Requirements
General Requirements | Fees | Partial Refunds | Education Requirements | Examination Requirements | Limited Permits
General Requirements
Any use of the title "Midwife" within New York State requires licensure.
To be licensed as a midwife in New York State you must:
- be of good moral character;
- be at least 21 years of age; and
- meet education and examination requirements.
You must submit an application for licensure and the other forms indicated, along with the appropriate fee, to the Office of the Professions at the address specified on each form. It is your responsibility to follow up with anyone you have asked to send us material.
The specific requirements for licensure are contained in Title 8, Article 140, section 6955 of New York's Education Law and Subpart 79-5 of the Commissioner's Regulations.
You should also read the general licensing information applicable for all professions.
Fees
The fee for licensure is $322.
Fees are subject to change. The fee due is the one in law when your application is received (unless fees are increased retroactively). You will be billed for the difference if fees have been increased.
- Do not send cash.
- Make your personal check or money order payable to the New York State Education Department. Your cancelled check is your receipt.
- Mail your application and fee to:
NYS Education Department,
Office of the Professions
P.O. Box 22063
Albany, NY 12201
NOTE: Payment submitted from outside the United States should be made by check or draft on a United States bank and in United States currency; payments submitted in any other form will not be accepted and will be returned.
Partial Refunds
Individuals who withdraw their licensure application may be entitled to a partial refund.
- For the procedure to withdraw your application, contact the Midwifery Unit at opunit1@mail.nysed.gov or by calling 518-474-3817 ext. 250 or by fax at 518-402-5354.
- The State Education Department is not responsible for any fees paid to an outside testing or credentials verification agency.
If you withdraw your application, obtain a refund, and then decide to seek New York State licensure at a later date, you will be considered a new applicant, and you will be required to pay the licensure application and registration fees and meet the licensure requirements in place at the time you reapply.
Education Requirements
To meet the education requirements for licensure as a midwife in New York State, you must present satisfactory evidence of graduation from high school or the equivalent and (a) or (b) or (c) below:
- completion of a New York State licensure qualifying program in midwifery; or
- graduation from a midwifery education program after December 1995* accredited by the American College of Nurse Midwives Division of Accreditation; or
- completion of a degree or diploma program in registered professional nursing or the equivalent as outlined in the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education and completion of a program in midwifery registered by the New York State Education Department or determined by this Department to be equivalent which leads to a baccalaureate degree or higher academic credential and includes educational preparation for the practice of midwifery and additional courses in related basic and clinical sciences.
*If you graduated from a program accredited by the American College of Nurse Midwives Division of Accreditation prior to 1996, you may be required to take additional courses, such as pharmacology, to meet the education requirement for licensure.
To be considered equivalent, programs must be equivalent in scope, content, and level of study to a registered program and must include the following professional studies:
- Educational preparation for the practice of nursing means completing
courses and supervised clinical experiences that include, but
are not limited to, the following:
- technical health care skills;
- maternity, pediatric, medical, surgical, psychiatric, and mental health care;
- nutrition;
- pharmacology;
- ethics; and
- biological, physical, and social sciences supportive to health care.
- Educational preparation for the practice of midwifery means completing
courses and supervised clinical experiences that include, but are not
limited to, the following:
- preconceptional, antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum care;
- physical assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of actual or potential health problems of women;
- well-woman care;
- neonatal care;
- family planning and gynecological care;
- professional, legal, and ethical aspects of midwifery practice;
- areas of nutrition related to the practice of midwifery; and
- a pharmacology component that includes instruction in drug management of midwifery clients.
Prescriptive privilege
An applicant who satisfies all requirements for licensure as a midwife may be authorized 1 to prescribe and administer drugs, immunizing agents, diagnostic tests and devices, and to order laboratory tests, limited to the practice of midwifery and subject to limitations of the practice agreement, after providing evidence of:
- completion of a three-credit course in pharmacology that includes instruction in drug management of midwifery clients, and
- completion of instruction in New York State and Federal laws and regulations relating to prescriptions and record keeping, or
- the satisfactory completion of equivalent course work as determined by the Department.
1 New York State Education Law, Section 6951(2)
If your midwifery program did not include the required three-semester hour course or the equivalent in pharmacology, you should contact an accredited midwifery program for information about completing a satisfactory course.
If your midwifery program was located outside New York State or if your program in New York State did not include the law component, or you are looking for information about the component relating to New York State and federal laws related to prescriptions and record keeping, contact one of the following:
State University of New York Downstate Medical Center
Midwifery Education Program
450 Clarkson Avenue, Box 1227
Brooklyn, NY 11203
Phone 718-270-7754
Fax 718-270-7634
E-mail
aleida.llanes-oberstein@downstate.edu
Web
www.downstate.edu/CHRP/midwifery/continuing_ed_legal.html
The Nurse Practitioner Association New York State
12 Corporate Drive
Clifton Park, NY 12065
Phone 518-348-0719
Fax 518-348-0720
E-mail info@thenpa.org
Web www.thenpa.org
The New York State Nurses Association
11 Cornell Road
Latham, NY 12110
Phone 518-782-9400
E-mail courses@nysna.org
Web www.nysna.org
After your license with prescriptive privilege is issued, you should contact the U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), at 1-800-882-9539 for information about obtaining a DEA number
Examination Requirements
To meet the examination requirement for licensure as a midwife in New York State, you must pass the examination developed and administered by the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB). Information and applications for the examination are available from:
American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB)
Suite 205
849 International Dr.
Linthicum, MD 21090
Phone 410-694-9424
Fax 410-694-9425
Web www.amcbmidwife.org
New York State Education Department
Office of the Professions
Division of Professional Licensing Services
Midwifery Unit
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234
Reasonable Testing Accommodations
If you have a disability and may require reasonable testing accommodations for the examination, you must provide the required documentation to the American Midwifery Certification Board no later than the examination application filing deadline. See above for contact information.
Limited Permits
You may be eligible for a limited permit to practice midwifery under the direct supervision of a New York State licensed and currently registered midwife or physician if you have met all other requirements for licensure in New York State but have not yet passed the licensing examination. A limited permit is valid for one year and may not be renewed.
You may apply for a limited permit by submitting the Application for Limited Permit (Form 5) and limited permit fee of $70 at the same time or anytime after you submit your application for licensure (Form 1), licensure fee of $322, and evidence of acceptable education.
You may not begin practice until the limited permit is issued.
Once a permit is issued, if you change employment and/or supervising practitioner, you must obtain a new permit by completing, with your prospective supervising practitioner, a new Form 5. A fee is not required for a new permit issued due to a change in employment (e.g. additional employer(s), change and/or additional practice sites) and/or supervising practitioner.
