HYBRID DIRECT-ENTRY MIDWIFERY PROGRAM

 

Hybrid Direct-Entry Midwifery Program

Become a Midwife in the United States

 

The Hybrid Direct-Entry Midwifery program is adapted to suit the needs of aspiring midwives across the United States. Our hybrid students will attend their academic courses virtually, with clinical lab courses on campus during once-a-trimester workshops, and participate in a clinical externship in their local community.

The Midwifery Core Curriculum consists of 90 credits over three years. This program provides students with the academic and clinical learning experiences required to be eligible to sit for the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) exam. Interested students are encouraged to research the laws and rules in their state to determine if Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) are eligible to practice and if our program meets their state’s requirements. To find out more information about your state’s midwifery regulations, check out MANA’s state by state breakdown.

Our clinical experience requirements exceed those required by NARM and MEAC, and include:

  • Participation in 75 births at varying management levels including a minimum:
  • 5 Planned Home Births
  • 2 Planned Hospital Births
  • 50 Prenatal Exams
  • 50 Newborn Exams
  • 50 Postpartum Exams
  • 5 Well Woman GYN Exams
  • 5 Continuity of Care Cases
  • 5 Suturing Patients
  • 1350 clinical hours

Each person’s birth experience is different and unique. Knowing this, the exact number of hours required to attend the mandated number of birth experiences will vary. However, students will spend at least 1350 clock hours in the clinical setting. Students must understand that the time spent at a birth may be in addition to the externship hours listed in the curriculum.

Meac Our Direct-entry Midwifery Program is accredited by MEAC

Find Out More About Prerequisites

Admission & Application

Step 1: Read the Application Guidelines

Prior to submitting your application, please review our Application Packet Guide to ensure you have everything you need, including all prerequisites.

Step 2: Apply

Submit your application along with all requested information. The application process can be extensive, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time to work through the application form.

Step 3: Interview

After reviewing your application, the CCSM team will reach out to schedule an interview.

Step 4: Outcome 

The CCSM team will deliberate and reach out with a decision. If accepted, we will advise you on the next steps to start your midwifery journey with us!

Start your Midwifery Journey

Click here to apply for our Hybrid Direct-Entry Midwifery Program!

Apply Now

Curious to learn more about life as a CCSM student midwife?

At CCSM, our Direct-Entry Programs are divided into trimesters, meaning there are three 15-week academic sessions in each calendar year, with a 3-week break in between each trimester. Trimesters begin in early September, January, and May, with classes held virtually each Friday from 9 am to 5 pm and skills labs once each trimester at our Winter Garden campus. Your clinical externships will take place in your local area and during the remaining days of the week, depending on the schedule you and your preceptor establish.

Our core competencies identify the essential knowledge base required of an entry-level midwife. We created our curriculum to meet all the academic and clinical requirements specified in Florida Statute 467 the Midwifery Practice Act, to prepare you for job opportunities. If you are eager to learn more, we encourage you to read through our student handbook and course catalog.

Ask Us a Question

Prerequisites

The prerequisites for the Hybrid Direct-Entry Midwifery program include:

  • 1 College-Level Math Course (at least 3 credits)
  • 1 College-Level English Course (at least 3 credits)
  • College-Level Anatomy & Physiology 1 & 2
  • Doula Training
  • Childbirth Education Training
  • Lactation Education Training (at least 6 hours)
  • Completion of a 4-hour HIV/AIDS Course
  • CPR Certification & “Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers” (in-person course)
  • Blood Borne Pathogens Certification

You must be a minimum of 18 years old to participate in this program.  

At CCSM, we believe in access to midwifery education for every aspiring midwife. If our prerequisites cause a barrier for you, please contact us about how we can assist you.

Don't have all the qualifications yet?

We recommend completing the relevant modules via our partner program CCI Training.

View modules

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Please find some answers to some of our commonly asked questions.

What is Commonsense Childbirth Inc?

Commonsense Childbirth Inc. is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization founded by Jennie Joseph in 1998. Jennie Joseph has dedicated her life to helping birthing people and families have better birth experiences. Over the years, Jennie’s work has grown beyond the birth room, from the opening of her own midwifery school, to her national and international advocacy on the positive outcomes of the midwifery model of care. Jennie Joseph started Commonsense Childbirth Inc to directly combat, advocate, and provide change for the maternal mortality rate and inequitable maternal care in minority and disenfranchised populations in the United States.

Do you offer an online three-year direct-entry program?

Although we do offer a hybrid version of our Direct-Entry Midwifery program, it is not completely an online program. The Hybrid Direct-Entry Midwifery program has live class sessions that students attend once a week, on-site time at a clinical externship in their local area, and once a trimester in-person travel to the school for clinical lab workshops. Since the weekly classes are held online through live sessions, much of your coursework can be done online from the comfort of your home, which provides students ample time to participate in their clinical externship throughout the week.

Are there any states that do no accept midwifery students?

Yes, New York and North Carolina. This is because the states do not allow CPM student midwives to complete their clinical requirements as CPM licensure is not legalized in those states.

Does CCSM allow international students to study overseas?

Unfortunately we do not at this time due to a lack of accreditation.

What is the difference between the programs?

The Hybrid Direct-Entry Midwifery program is designed to meet the educational needs of aspiring midwives across the United States, with no prior midwifery, nursing, or medical training. The Hybrid program follows the same Midwifery Core Curriculum as our In-Person Direct-Entry Midwifery program but adapted to be hosted primarily online, with preceptorships in your local area.

The Licensure by Endorsement program is designed to prepare experienced foreign-trained midwives or doctors, as well as registered or licensed midwives from other states for careers as Florida Licensed Midwives. This program is facilitated online, with the preceptorship in Florida.

If you are an LPN or RN, please read the next FAQ ‘I am a registered nurse’ for more information about how your prior education and experience can be applied to our Direct-Entry Midwifery program.

Can I transfer into CCSM? What's the first step in transferring?

If you are interested in transferring to our school, please reach out to us at info@commonsensemidwifery.org to see if we have openings in our programs. Transfer students are required to apply to our program and complete a transcript evaluation.  If you would like to get a head start on the process you can please complete the same Transcript Evaluation Request Form, pay the applicable transcript evaluation fee, provide a copy of your course catalog(s), and send an official transcript along with your initial email.

I have been trained as a midwife but I am not registered or licensed. Can I still enroll in the Licensure by Endorsement Program?

Florida law requires registration or licensure to qualify for Licensure by Endorsement and therefore interested students must have one or the other to apply. If you are not registered or licensed as a midwife, please contact us to find out what other options are available to you.

Where can I complete my prerequisites?

While we do not require that our prerequisites be completed at these institutes, these are just some suggestions where you can meet our prerequisites:

If you have any questions about whether or not your previous experience will meet our prerequisites, feel free to ask us!

How much do your programs cost?

Our Direct-Entry Program’s tuition is $27,000. We offer a payment plan to help spread the cost of education, as well as scholarship opportunities to our students. Click here to learn more about financing the midwifery school.

Do you have a scholarship program?

Yes, we do! Please Click here to learn more about our scholarship opportunities.

Do you accept FASFA or GI Bills?

We do not currently accept FAFSA or FL Prepaid at this time. While this is an eventual goal for our school, we do not know when exactly we will be able to provide this as an option for our students. CCSM is currently in the process of applying to accept GI Bills. To stay up to date on our financial aid options, feel free to sign up for our interested student mailing list.

How does the Transcript Evaluation work?

If you are applying to our school and are interested in determining if some of your previous education could be applied as for credit, all you need to do is complete this Transcript Evaluation Request Form and pay the applicable transcript evaluation fee (see below for the link to pay via Paypal). You will need to gather a copy of your course catalog(s), as well as have an official transcript. Once you’ve complete those steps, please email everything to info@commonsensemidwifery.org.

Please note, transcript evaluations are not required for our college-level prerequisites, just your official transcript(s) submitted with your application.


Type


Can you help me find a preceptor?

CCSM has strong relationships with midwives across Florida and continues to establish new midwife relationships across the nation. Although we cannot guarantee placement with a preceptor from our faculty, we pride ourselves on assisting students with their placements. Our preceptors practice in a variety of settings, which allow students to explore the type of midwifery practice they would like to establish upon graduation. 

What can I do to prepare for midwifery school while I wait for the next program start date?

While waiting for CCSM’s next direct-entry cohort, there is plenty to do to better prepare you for your midwifery journey. Below are some suggestions on how to prepare for midwifery school:

  • Complete our prerequisites via our partner CCI Training – please reference the program pages for a full list of our prerequisites
  • Apply for jobs in the birth field, such as;
    • Birth Assistant
    • Doula
    • Lactation Educator or Peer Counselor
    • Childbirth Educator
  • Research midwifery books and podcasts
  • Join our interested student list, so you can stay up to date with CCSM
I am a registered nurse, will any of my prior learning count toward your direct-entry program?

Florida Statute 467.009 allows students with previous nursing or midwifery education to be applied to our program but does not allow for training to be reduced to a period of fewer than 2 years. All interested students have the ability to request a transcript evaluation and consultation to discuss how their unique educational experience can be applied towards their midwifery education and training. We encourage our students to review our catalog and handbook, to compare your previous experiences with our curriculum. Feel free to reach out to us. 

ABOUT CCSM

Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery (CCSM) was developed around principles that have driven midwifery practice worldwide: trust, respect, and necessity. However, in the United States, midwives are faced with the challenge of not being seen as the optimum choice in providing maternity care.

CCSM is committed to fostering a community of diverse midwives to combat this false narrative and help all folks take back having “their birth their way.”

Find Out More

VISION STATEMENT

We envision a maternity care climate saturated with culturally sensitive and racially congruent care that results in equitable and superior outcomes in maternal and infant health for all populations.

We seek to reach as many individuals as we can because there is no time to lose. We are in the business of saving lives. In order to achieve our vision, we seek to open a pathway for midwives of color to again become autonomous community providers, to address and redress the historical, structural, and institutional inequities that continue to decimate Black and indigenous people, and to restore trusted birth workers to the heart of their communities once again.

Data supports the safety and efficacy of the midwifery model of care. America needs an urgent change in its maternity healthcare delivery system in order to address challenges of rising medical interventions, cesarean sections and healthcare costs, and high infant and maternal mortality rates. CCSM stands for that change – ‘getting to the heart of the matter’ one birthing person, one baby, one family at a time.

Thank you for joining us, and welcome!

Jennie Joseph  LM, CPM, Founder

LOCATION & FACILITIES

The Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery (CCSM) is located near downtown Winter Garden:

213 S. Dillard Street

Suite 340 of the Winter Garden Executive Center

Winter Garden, Florida 34787

The school is approximately 800 square feet of space consisting of a library, a classroom, office, kitchen, and eating area.

CCSM is located inside ‘The Birth Place’ Birth Center which has two birth suites, four exams rooms, nurse and provider support areas, and family waiting areas. Sharing our school with The Birth Place space means that students will quickly become familiar with the different facets of midwifery so as to optimize learning opportunities.

Why Choose Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery?

Dedication to Diversity

CCSM believes that exposure to diversity will best prepare our students to serve all birthing people and families.  Because of our strong commitment to equity and social justice, the school promotes non-discrimination in all its facets.

Unrivaled Educational Philosophy

We are dedicated to educating student midwives in the ancient art and modern science of midwifery practice. We believe that any student wanting to reach their goal will be able to benefit from the education CCSM offers.

MEAC Accredited

Our hybrid Direct-Entry Midwifery program  at Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery was granted accreditation by the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC) on July 8, 2020. Our Licensure by Endorsement program is not accredited by MEAC. 

Over 40 Years Experience

Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery founder Jennie Joseph brings over 40 years experience with the results to match.