License Requirements for Midwifery

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.

The fee for licensure is $322.

The fee for a limited permit is $70 (the limited permit fee is not refundable).

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.
• If you apply for licensure electronically using the online Application for Licensure, you will be required to pay by credit card.
• Other payments must be made by personal check or money order payable to the New York State Education Department. Your cancelled check is your receipt.
• Mail any required forms and fees to the indicated address on the form.

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.

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@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.

To meet the education requirements for licensure as a midwife in New York State, you must present evidence of completion of a master’s or higher degree program in midwifery or a related field that is:

• registered by the Department as licensure qualifying; or
• accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education*; or
• determined by the Department to be equivalent of such a registered** or accredited program.

*If the midwifery program you completed did not culminate in a master’s or higher degree, you will be required to complete an additional program in midwifery at the graduate level to meet the current education requirements for licensure as a midwife in New York State.

**For a curriculum that is offered by a post-secondary institution outside of New York State to be determined by the Department to be the equivalent of a registered program in midwifery, the curriculum shall be recognized by the appropriate civil authorities of the jurisdiction in which the school is located as an acceptable education program for licensure as a midwife in that jurisdiction; and equivalent in scope, content, and level of study to a program registered by the Department  as defined in §52.20 of Commissioner’s Regulations.

Admission requirements to the graduate midwifery program shall include successful completion of a baccalaureate degree, or the equivalent, and successful completion of the educational content in the biological, physical and social sciences supportive to health care, provided that such admission requirement may be integrated as part of the master’s midwifery degree program and shall include, but are not limited to, the following curricular areas:

1. biology;
2. embryology, human, development and genetics;
3. chemistry;
4. microbiology;
5. human anatomy and physiology, including pathophysiology;
6. psychology; and
7. sociology or cultural anthropology

The graduate midwifery program shall include didactic courses accompanied by supervised clinical experiences which include, but are not limited to, the following curricular areas:

1. technical health care skills;
2. preconceptional, antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum care;
3. physical assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and management of health problems of women;
4. primary care of women, including preventative care;
5. neonatal care;
6. family planning and gynecological care of prepubescent through postmenopausal women;
7. professional, legal, and ethical aspects of midwifery practice;
8. nutrition related to the practice of midwifery; and
9. pharmacology as described in section 79-5.5 of Commissioner’s Regulations.

Evidence of receipt of your degree(s) must be presented on Form 2-Certification of Professional Education and must be submitted directly to the Office of the Professions by the school where you obtained your degree.  If the program was not a NYS licensure-qualifying program  or accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education after December 31, 2009, an official transcript is also needed. 

Prescriptive privilege 1

An applicant who satisfies all requirements for licensure as a midwife may be authorized to prescribe and administer drugs, immunizing agents, diagnostic tests and devices, and to order laboratory tests, limited to the practice of midwifery, 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.

Evidence of completion of the three semester hour pharmacology course or the equivalent must be presented on Form 2A-Certification of Pharmacology Course or the Equivalent of not Less Than Three Semester Hours and must be submitted directly to the Office of the Professions by the school providing the pharmacology 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:

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Midwifery Program
450 Clarkson Avenue, MSC 1227
Brooklyn, NY 11203
Phone 718-270-7741
Fax 718-270-7634
Web www.downstate.edu/health-professions/midwifery/continuing-education.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

When you have successfully completed the pharmacology component which included instruction in New York State and federal laws relating to prescriptions and record keeping from one of the three institutions listed above, forward Form 2B-Certification of Instruction in New York State and Federal Laws Relating to Prescriptions and Record Keeping to the institution.  Form 2B-Certification of Instruction in New York State and Federal Laws Relating to Prescriptions and Record Keeping must be submitted to the Office of the Professions by the institution where you completed instruction. 

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.

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.

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.