NARM Announcement
Strengthening Our Path Forward:
A Message to CPMs and Midwifery Educators
Dear CPMs, Students, and Midwifery Educators,
We are writing to share an important update regarding how NARM is responding to recent news about the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC) and its standing with the Department of Education (DOE).
NARM's job is to protect the quality of the CPM credential, for every midwife who holds it and every family in their care. Updating the training pathways (defined as a material change) for becoming a CPM requires we carefully review our standards to ensure that every candidate is fully prepared for their clinical practice, regardless of which route they take. This commitment to consistency guides all the updates outlined below.
We recognize this is an uncertain time. Our priority is to protect the integrity of the CPM credential and the students and candidates working toward it while navigating this transition with transparency, fairness, and care.
To that end, we are initiating a strategic plan to help us navigate these challenges together. Here is what this means for you:
To register for the informational session, click here. To add your feedback, please visit the community center here. The community center is open to all NARM members. If you have not yet joined, please click here to learn more about free membership.
We are working in close collaboration with members of our CPM and student community, NACPM, and schools to ensure a smooth, stable transition. We will continue to communicate updates directly to you, and we appreciate your partnership as we work to keep our profession strong, respected, and sustainable.
Thank you for everything you do for birthing families and for the future of midwifery.
Warmly,
Brynne Potter
Executive Director, NARM
We are writing to share an important update regarding how NARM is responding to recent news about the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC) and its standing with the Department of Education (DOE).
NARM's job is to protect the quality of the CPM credential, for every midwife who holds it and every family in their care. Updating the training pathways (defined as a material change) for becoming a CPM requires we carefully review our standards to ensure that every candidate is fully prepared for their clinical practice, regardless of which route they take. This commitment to consistency guides all the updates outlined below.
We recognize this is an uncertain time. Our priority is to protect the integrity of the CPM credential and the students and candidates working toward it while navigating this transition with transparency, fairness, and care.
To that end, we are initiating a strategic plan to help us navigate these challenges together. Here is what this means for you:
- Steadying the Path (18-Month Provisional Recognition of MEAC pathway):
- Due to the change in MEAC’s status, NARM is required to notify our accreditor, the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) (learn about NCCA at the community center here), of the change and ensure the equivalency of all pathways to the CPM.
- As a result, effective October 1, 2026, NARM is placing the MEAC accredited educational pathway on provisional recognition status for a period of 18 months.
- During this time, NARM will be conducting a full review of the MEAC pathway, as well as all eligibility pathways for the CPM credential, to assure the quality of the credentialing process and the clinical competency of every candidate who obtains the CPM credential.
- During this 18 month provisional recognition period, we will continue to honor the MEAC pathway for students currently enrolled in their programs, provided programs comply with updated clinical competency verification requirements.
- For those students enrolled in MEAC programs who must transfer to the Portfolio Evaluation Process (PEP), a transitional plan will allow for accommodation of already verified clinical experience and skills to be accepted.
- During this time, NARM will honor all MEAC accredited CEUs.
- Ensuring Clinical Excellence: To maintain the rigor of the CPM credential, we are implementing a structured process to verify the clinical experience and skills of all MEAC accredited program candidates. This will include requiring documented clinical experience alongside proof of graduation from the schools. We look forward to working closely with our educational partners to finalize these protocols. This update will only apply to graduates of MEAC programs. Additional documentation will only be required by the schools, not the candidates themselves.
- Working Together: NARM will establish a CPM Education Eligibility Task Force to create a clear, standardized evaluation rubric for all educational programs and accreditors of midwifery education. Additionally, we are launching a Midwifery Education Advisory Board (in partnership with NACPM and leaders of midwifery schools) and a Midwifery Student Council to ensure that your voices—as educators, preceptors, and students—help guide our policies and standards.
- Our Commitment: This transition is about quality, integrity, and fairness. We remain dedicated to making sure this process is transparent. We will be hosting an informational session on July 29th at 1 pm Pacific, 4 pm Eastern and we are initiating a 30-day comment period today on the NARM's member community forum to answer your questions, share updates, and ensure that your feedback is incorporated into quality improvement measures that work for everyone and assure public safety.
- Test Development Updates: At the information session, we also want to update you on the ongoing work of the test development program. NARM is updating the Exam Content Outline based on the 2024 Job Task Analysis to keep the exam current with NCCA accreditation requirements and to sharpen emphasis on client education. Learn more at the community center here.
To register for the informational session, click here. To add your feedback, please visit the community center here. The community center is open to all NARM members. If you have not yet joined, please click here to learn more about free membership.
We are working in close collaboration with members of our CPM and student community, NACPM, and schools to ensure a smooth, stable transition. We will continue to communicate updates directly to you, and we appreciate your partnership as we work to keep our profession strong, respected, and sustainable.
Thank you for everything you do for birthing families and for the future of midwifery.
Warmly,
Brynne Potter
Executive Director, NARM
U.S. Department of Education Staff Report to the Senior Department Official on Recognition Compliance Issues
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This report is the Department of Education staff's formal evaluation of whether the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC) continued to meet the federal requirements to remain a recognized accrediting agency. It is not an evaluation of Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs), midwifery schools, or clinical care. Its purpose was to determine whether MEAC met the federal standards required of all recognized accreditors.
The staff ultimately recommended denial of continued recognition, concluding that MEAC had not demonstrated compliance with numerous federal recognition criteria. The report identifies recurring concerns in several areas:
One important distinction runs throughout the report: the findings are directed at MEAC's performance as an accrediting organization. The report does not conclude that CPMs are unsafe, that graduates lack clinical competence, or that accredited educational programs failed to prepare students. Rather, it concludes that MEAC did not adequately demonstrate that it met the federal requirements expected of a recognized accrediting agency. In short, the report is fundamentally about institutional governance, oversight, and compliance, not about the validity of the CPM credential or the quality of community midwifery practice. That distinction is the key takeaway for Massachusetts midwives and students. |