Master of Science in Midwifery

The Master of Science in Midwifery is available to students who already hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college/university or MEAC accredited program and who complete the program prerequisites prior to entering the program. An option is available to students who have completed at least two years at the undergraduate level (60 semester or 90 quarter credits), including the basic science and proficiency prerequisites and general education requirements as well.  

Bastyr’s three-year, direct-entry midwifery program trains students in all aspects of midwifery practice, preparing them to offer safe, high-quality maternity care.

The rigorous, proven curriculum makes use of state-of-the art technologies and a well-qualified, approved network of clinical training sites. The curriculum meets all of the core competencies and skills as identified by the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC) and the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM).

Studies in related fields, such as epidemiology, nutrition, pharmacology, genetics, embryology, counseling, and education, as well as social justice and professional issues, build skills necessary for the practice of culturally versatile, competent midwifery in our increasingly complex health care environment.

The department welcomes students who have previous midwifery training or practicing midwives who have not attended a formal midwifery educational program and/or want to earn a degree. All students in the program must meet the transfer credit requirements and complete at least two-thirds of the program and all of the Practicum while enrolled at Bastyr.

Graduates qualify to take the examination for national certification as a certified professional midwife (CPM), and, depending on regional requirements, may apply for licensure or provincial registration.

Expected Program Outcomes

The Master of Science in Midwifery program educates midwives with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to meet national and international standards of midwifery competence. Graduates qualify to apply for certification by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) and may qualify for licensure or registration in a variety of jurisdictions. Graduates are also equipped with leadership and advocacy skills that help move the profession forward.

 At the completion of Bastyr’s Midwifery Program, students will be able to:

• demonstrate the ability to autonomously provide care to clients with normal, low-risk pregnancies, labors, births, and postpartum periods, as well as normal newborn care, in a variety of settings with a primary focus in home and birth center locations; and provide this care in alignment with the Midwives Model of Care™ that promotes birth as a healthy and normal physiologic process.
• assess, diagnose, and appropriately manage common complications in the antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum periods.
• recognize complications that require consultation, referral, or transfer of care to other providers within the healthcare system, and collaborate effectively for positive client outcomes.
• demonstrate integration of the principles of reproductive justice by acting as advocates and agents for racial and cultural equity.
• utilize critical thinking abilities by referencing evidence-informed practice principles and by integrating ethical and legal issues into their care of clients.
• communicate with clients in a way that validates the client’s knowledge and experience while encouraging personal responsibility in shared decision making and informed choice.
• exercise information literacy skills through research activities, policy development, involvement in political processes, and the promotion of midwifery through state, provincial, and national professional organizations.
• demonstrate professional behaviors related to client confidentiality, collegial courtesy, self-reflection, integrity, and ethical interactions. 
• positively contribute to collaborations and teamwork by fulfilling responsibilities in time allowed, providing constructive feedback, and supporting fellow team members toward collective goals. 

Midwifery Licensure

Prospective and current students should contact the states in which they wish to practice by referencing the University’s listing of professional programs and state licensing/certification agencies for their programs.

Direct-entry midwifery is regulated in 36 states and the District of Columbia through licensure, certification, and registration, with additional states engaged in legislative efforts. The most current information regarding the legal status of direct-entry midwifery can be found here. 

Graduates of our program are eligible to take the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) exam for registration as a certified professional midwife (CPM). Although the CPM is a national certification, licensure of the practice of midwifery (as with most professions) occurs on a state-by-state basis. In most states that license direct-entry midwives, the CPM credential or the NARM exam is part of the licensure process. Increasingly, state licensure may also require graduation from a MEAC accredited midwifery program, which our program is.

Essential Functions of a Midwife and Midwifery Student

The Department of Midwifery welcomes applicants who are differently abled. Applicants will have the opportunity to discuss the impact that their limitations may have on both their ability to successfully complete the midwifery program at Bastyr and their ability to practice midwifery after graduation.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is designed to protect persons with disabilities from discrimination. It recommends that the essential functions necessary for performing the proposed job or schooling be fully described so that the candidate can determine if they can perform these functions.

The following is a list of the essential functions of a midwife and a midwifery student in our program:

Observation

A midwifery applicant should be able to:

• use objective reflective skills to perform preceptor/clinical site evaluation for suitability of learning environment and clinical skills opportunities.
• observe/visually assess a patient accurately at a distance and close at hand.

Communication

A midwifery applicant should be able to:

• communicate with/understand clients and their families.
• perceive non-verbal cues and describe changes in mood or emotion.
• communicate sensitively and effectively with clients using face-to-face and written methods regarding clinical issues.
• communicate in person and in writing with classmates, instructors, staff, preceptors, and professional colleagues.

Motor

A midwifery applicant should be able to:

• perform general clinical skills for conducting a complete physical examination, including pelvic assessments.
• perform fine motor skills such as suturing, starting IVs, injecting, and performing venipuncture.
• lift and reposition clients.
• correctly administer medications.
• execute motor skills necessary in emergency treatment, such as resuscitation and control of hemorrhage.

Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative, and Quantitative Abilities

A midwifery applicant should be able to:

• read, understand/interpret, and apply technical and scientific material.
• memorize facts and test successfully for them.
• solve complex problems by synthesizing knowledge obtained from books, classes, and clinical experiences.
• write coherent essays.
• research topics relevant to midwifery practice and present findings.
• develop and exercise clinical judgment and decision-making skills.

Behavioral and Social Attributes

A midwifery applicant should be able to:

• maintain one’s own mental and physical health.
• function effectively under stress.
• display flexibility in the face of uncertainty.
• demonstrate compassion, maturity, integrity, motivation, and interest.
• not use illegal or legal medications, alcohol, or other drugs that may impair judgment.
• be available to the preceptor(s) at all times of the day or night for work as a midwifery student, while in a clinical site.
• work long and irregular hours, sometimes with little break, or for days at a time.

The ADA allows employers, schools, or adjunct clinical faculty to ask if applicants can perform these essential functions. They can ask applicants to describe or demonstrate how they will perform an essential function. They can also test applicants for aptitude, physical agility, intelligence, and specific skills.

Bastyr and the Department of Midwifery staff are available to help applicants, students, and preceptors propose reasonable accommodations for those with disabilities.

Blended Learning Model

One of the most exciting aspects of the program is its blended curriculum. This hybrid delivery system allows students to commute to the Bastyr campus three times each quarter and conduct their clinical learning in various communities. Each cohort of students (determined by year of entry) attends the same onsite weeks together, which allows for the face-to-face learning experience that is vital to midwifery training and allows students to build strong relationships with classmates and faculty.

When not physically on campus, students use the Canvas online classroom to correspond with classmates and instructors, engage in discussions, turn in homework, and take tests.

Midwifery Curriculum

The midwifery program addresses both the art and science of midwifery by integrating theory with clinical experience. The Midwifery Care courses are the foundation of the program. All courses build skills necessary for the practice of midwifery through the use of case questions, skills-practice labs, role-playing, discussion, student presentations, and research projects. Clinical skills and judgment are honed during Practicum with practicing midwives. The midwifery curriculum is enhanced by studies in related fields such as epidemiology, nutrition, pharmacology, genetics, embryology, counseling, and education. Professional issues are woven throughout the curriculum including courses addressing midwifery history, racism and culture, law and ethics, advocacy and health policy, and tools for starting a practice. In year two, students elect either an independent master’s project under the guidance of a faculty committee or take a specialized track in Botanical Medicine for Midwifery Care for equivalent credits.

Clinical Experience

The Department of Midwifery places all students in qualified clinical training sites. The program replicates the age-old apprenticeship model in which students work side-by-side with experienced preceptors who are licensed midwives and other professionals in the community to gain skills and integrate the knowledge learned in the classroom. At least two years of clinical training are required, with a minimum of two clinical sites in North America. Optimal training sites include homebirth settings, birth centers, clinics, and hospitals.

Department staff work closely with each student to arrange these clinical placements. Students must live within a one-hour commute of a qualified preceptor site. They may be required to relocate temporarily in order to meet graduation requirements if the community in which they reside does not have adequate clinical training opportunities. Personal flexibility and the support of family members are essential to manage possible separation and economic challenges.

In quarter two, prior to being placed in an approved clinical site, students are required to complete a non-credit-bearing course titled Introduction to Practicum, which includes an introduction to clinical tracking and the requirements necessary for the midwifery program’s clinical placements, as well as an orientation designed to prepare students to work effectively in a midwifery clinical preceptorship.

The clinical Practicum begins in the third quarter of the program. Students typically begin Practicum slowly, primarily observing for the first few months. Basic clinical skills, such as performing blood draws, IVs, physical and pelvic exams, pap tests, etc., are taught first in the classroom. Additionally, students are required to complete an approved neonatal resuscitation course as well as obtain training in CPR for health care providers at their own expense and prior to beginning Practicum. Students must also have an annual TB test and demonstrated immunity to or be vaccinated for hepatitis B. Several clinical sites have additional immunizations requirements, so students should be prepared to demonstrate immunity to or be vaccinated for chicken pox/varicella, MMR, pertussis, annual influenza, and/or COVID-19. Moreover, students must pass a Washington state background check before beginning Practicum, administered in the second quarter of the first year, conducted by the University, for which a fee is charged to the student. Students returning from a leave of absence are required to have their clinical skills assessed and may need remedial skills training before becoming eligible for a Practicum assignment.

Students may obtain their clinical experience in gynecology/family planning clinics, prenatal/postpartum clinics, homebirth settings, birth centers, and hospitals in North America. (See Graduation Requirements below for specifics about clinical training requirements.) Students may work with licensed midwives, certified professional midwives, certified nurse-midwives, nurse practitioners, naturopathic doctors, physician assistants, or physicians. Preceptors must be practicing legally for at least three years and serve a large enough obstetrical/gynecological population to adequately instruct, supervise, and evaluate students’ clinical training. The Department of Midwifery screens and approves all potential clinical preceptors before students are placed in clinical training sites.

Admissions

For general information on the admissions process, please refer to the Admissions section in this catalog. The information below refers only to the Department of Midwifery’s Master of Science in Midwifery degree.

Prerequisites

Applicants without a bachelor’s degree must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 to be considered for admission. A grade of C or better is also required in all basic proficiency courses. Students may apply to the program while completing prerequisite coursework, but all prerequisites must be completed prior to enrollment in the program.

For Applicants With a Bachelor’s Degree in Any Field¹

¹From a regionally accredited college/university

For Applicants Without a Bachelor’s Degree

¹The number of elective credits may vary depending on the exact number of quarter credits earned in the other prerequisite categories. Total prerequisite credits must equal at least 90 quarter credits.

Applicants without a bachelor’s degree, please visit the Bastyr University undergraduate admissions page for information about transfer credits at www.bastyr.edu/admissions/transfer-students/undergraduate-transfer-info.