How to Obtain license as midwife in USA for Internationally educated Midwives?
There are several steps to follow to obtain a midwife’s license in USA for an internationally educated midwife. Each state has its on specific requirements. So kindly go through each state licensing process before applying.
Certified Nurse Midwife, Certified midwife, certified professional midwife and registered midwife.
Below screen shows qualification requirement for each licensing title. For a registered midwife , masters degree in midwifery needed.
Steps involved in Licensing process:
- Check state licensing board requirement for midwives licensure.
- You must pass American midwifery Certification Board exam (AMCB).https://www.amcbmidwife.org/
- To eligible for this exam, you must be a graduate of a midwifery educational programme, that is accredited by the Accreditation Council for midwifery Education (ACME).
- In the case of foreign education, you will need to show your chosen program your foreign credentials and let them determine how many classes you need to take to obtain graduation status and become eligible for this exam.
- Work with your chosen midwifery education program and submit a credential evaluation to the admissions board; the program may have a credential evaluation service that they prefer you use, or you might be able to use a service from either the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE).
- After completion of your education requirement as per AMCB, you are eligible for taking exam
- You can select between certified midwife (CM) or certified nurse midwife (CNM) certification. It’s important to note that CNM certification requires the individual to also be a registered nurse in their chosen state.
- Some states require that individuals who gained the majority of their midwife education outside of the U.S. also complete the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
- You have to submit score of English language proficiency test as well as AMCB exam score for licensing application.
- Which state you want to work , that particular state you have to do registration to work as midwive.
- After you have met all of the basic education and examination requirements for state licensing and received your state license and AMCB certification, you will need to ensure you can easily immigrate to the U.S. to work.
- Midwives have a few different options of visa types and green cards to choose from, and you should consult with an immigration lawyer if you have any questions about this process.
Fees:
- Education course fee in USA—depends on hours and type of course suggested for you
- credential verification related expenses for your education and license.
- AMCB Examination fee-$500
- License application in state- typically a few hundred dollars-depends on the state
- cost of a visa or green card —typically range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars to complete, and this cost may increase if you consult an immigration lawyer for legal help.
- Police clearence certificate fee
- Medical test fee
Duration of application process:
Around 2-3 years
Depending on your situation, a visa or green card application could take between 13 and 24 months to process.
Visa/Immigration details:
- In general, midwives are grouped into the ‘nursing’ category of immigration, and the visas you may be eligible for are those that are typically reserved for healthcare professionals.
- Foreign-educated midwives may be able to obtain student visas if they are studying in the U.S., or they may be eligible for the H-1B visa for specialty occupations.
- Employment-based visas might be an option depending on your specific situation, and in some cases, midwives might also be able to apply directly for a green card.
I hope you are clear with this information.
