Continuing Education Policy

Approved Accreditation Programs

The Certificate Maintenance Program accepts continuing education units appropriate to the practice of midwifery and approved by the following organizations to satisfy the 20 contact hours requirement:

ACNM
ACCME (Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education) Category 1
AMA (American Medical Association) PRA Category 1
AAFP (American Academy of Family Physicians)
AANP (American Association of Nurse Practitioners)
NPWH (National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health)
ACPE (Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education)
AAPA (American Academy of Physician Associates)
SDMS (Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography)

To update your continuing education information, please login to the portal by clicking here. If you are already signed in, please click "My Account" in the upper right-hand corner.

Additional Continuing Education Options

Additionally, each of the following nine alternatives may be used once per certification cycle in lieu of a portion of the contact hours required to satisfy the continuing education component of the Certificate Maintenance Program.

Graduate Level Coursework: completion directly relevant to clinical midwifery practice will be approved for 10 contact hours. A transcript is required for documentation. A maximum of 10 hours will be awarded for this per cycle.
DNP and PhD Level Coursework in Health Related Field: will be approved for either “Option 1” or “Option 2” (The dates for either option must have been achieved during the current CMP cycle year):
- Option 1: Partial program transcript may be used for 10 contact hours for a degree in progress.
- Option 2: If Option 1 has not been utilized during a previous or current cycle, a transcript or degree showing completion of the Graduate or PhD program may be used for 20 contact hours.
Formal presentation on a topic that has contact hour approval from one of the above approved providers will be approved for double the number of contact hours that are awarded to participants. Up to 10 hours may accrue for this alternative. When multiple speakers (such as a panel) present, eligible credit will be divided by the number of presenters. A copy of the program brochure is required for documentation. A presentation at a meeting without continuing education hours from the approved providers will not be accepted.
Publication in a peer referred journal as a primary author on a midwifery related topic will be approved in lieu of 10 contact hours. A photocopy or PDF document of the published article is required for documentation. Secondary authors may request 5 hours. Acceptable documentation includes a copy of the document and evidence of the degree of their participation in the development of the article. An example of this evidence would be a statement in the published article describing each author’s participation.
Primary author of a chapter in a peer reviewed textbook relevant to midwifery and women's health, may receive recognition in lieu of ten contact hours. A photocopy of the published chapter from the textbook is required for documentation. Secondary authors may request 5 hours. Acceptable documentation includes a copy of the document and evidence of the degree of their participation in the development of the chapter. An example of this evidence would be a statement in the publication describing each author’s participation.
Peer reviewer of an article for a referred journal or textbook chapter relevant to midwifery and women's health, will be approved for 1.5 contact hours. A letter or certificate from the journal is required for documentation. Up to 10 hours may accrue for this alternative.
Direct clinical supervision as a preceptor to a nurse-midwifery/midwifery student from an ACME accredited program (with or without payment), will be approved for up to 10 contact hours for 90 hours or more spent precepting. A letter from the faculty coordinator is required for documentation.
Participation in an ACNM or AMCB committee that advances midwifery practice will qualify an individual for up to 10 hours. A letter of verification from the committee chair with dates of service and hours of participation is required. The number of qualifying hours will be at the discretion of the committee chair. Subcommittee volunteers can claim up to 1.5 hours.
Participation in an ACME Accreditation Review will qualify a CNM/CM for 10 contact hours once per certification cycle. A letter from the ACME executive director will be required for verification.

Continuing Education that is NOT Accepted

Continuing education only sponsored or approved by a state board of nursing or a state nursing organization (e.g., MNA)
Contact hours solely accredited by the National Certification Corporation (NCC)
American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) continuing education contact hours unless it is for a clearly identified advanced nursing practice conference (e.g. NPACE conferences) in which case the hours can be submitted to staff for approval from the CMP Committee.
Basic Life Support (BLS)
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP)
Electronic Fetal Monitoring (EFM) unless the documentation specifically states that is advanced
Up to Date and similar programs without submission of a log or other evidence that the program is beyond core knowledge
Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC) hours can be submitted to staff for approval from the CMP Committee

CNMs and CMs residing outside of the US and continuing their AMCB certification are to submit hours of continuing education approved by an AMCB recognized accreditation program. Many online opportunities are available to fulfill this requirement.

If an individual would like to receive credit for any other continuing education activity before they have attended, then it the responsibility of the individual to apply directly to the ACNM Continuing Education Committee, click here, for pre-approval of the desired activity.

It is highly recommended that midwives encourage sponsors of continuing education activities appropriate to midwives to apply to the ACNM for ACNM contact hours prior to offering the continuing education.

When you participate in continuing education and you have a choice between ACCME credits and nursing credits, choose ACCME.

AMCB reserves the right to withhold any recertification regardless of automatic submission or audit approval should it be found for any reason that a CEU submission is not acceptable per our Continuing Education Policy. Fraudulent submissions may be subject to discipline.

If you have any questions, please visit our FAQs or contact:

Emily Phillips
Certificate Maintenance Program Coordinator
Phone: 410-694-9424 ext. 7015