LICENSURE BY ENDORSEMENT PROGRAM

Licensure by Endorsement Program

Are you a foreign-trained midwife or doctor? Are you a licensed midwife in another state?

Become a Florida Licensed Midwife

The Licensure by Endorsement Program is designed to prepare experienced foreign-trained midwives or doctors, as well as certified or licensed midwives from other states, for careers as Florida Licensed Midwives. Please note, our Licensure By Endorsement Program is not accredited by the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC) but leads to Licensure through the State of Florida as a Licensed Midwife. All interested students must have their credentials reviewed and approved by an approved educational credentialing organization.

The program focuses on the art of out-of-hospital birth, equipping students with the knowledge and skills necessary to be a safe, independent practitioners. Course work is both academic and clinical, with a strong emphasis on the laws and rules that govern practice as a Florida Licensed Midwife. The Licensure by Endorsement curriculum consists of 24 credits over the span of 4 months to 2 years. In compliance with Florida Law and the applicant’s previous route of education and experience, clinical and academic requirements are individualized.

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 135 clock hours in the clinical setting. Students must understand that the time spent at a birth may be in addition to externship hours listed in the curriculum.

Graduates of the Licensure by Endorsement will be eligible to sit for the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) exam. The NARM exam is the National certifying exam for the midwifery profession and is used as the licensure exam in Florida. Graduates will also receive a Certificate of Completion from CCSM. Students must graduate from an approved licensure by endorsement course, pass the NARM exam, and be granted licensure by the Council of Licensed Midwifery before they may work as a midwife in the State of Florida.

 

Educational Evaluation:

As mentioned earlier, the first step to starting our Licensure by Endorsement Program is determining your eligibility. This can be done by having your educational documents evaluated by an educational credentialing organization approved by the Florida Council of Licensed Midwifery. A list of approved providers can be found here: https://www.naces.org/members.

For further information on this process, please refer to the Application Packet Guide.

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: Physical Exam

After reviewing your application, the CCSM team will reach out to schedule an interview, as well as request you arrange a physical exam with your healthcare provider. Please have your healthcare provider complete our Performance Standard Form.

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 Licensure by Endorsement Program!

Apply Now

Need more information?

Please review our catalog and our student handbook. If you still need more information, please click here to reach out to us.

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

At CCSM, our Licensure by Endorsement Program is structured in a hybrid style, where classes are held via zoom while your clinical externship is completed in Florida. Over 10 courses, completed from 4 to 12 months, you’ll learn the specifics of Florida laws that pertain to midwives and review the foundations of midwifery at an accelerated academic level.

Our core competencies identify the essential knowledge base required for Florida midwives. 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.

Download our catalog

Download our handbook

Ask Us a Question

Prerequisites

The prerequisites for the Licensure by Endorsement program include:

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.

A valuable opportunity to learn

Studying in CCSM was a valuable opportunity to learn about the difference between an OB/GYN and a midwife, and the laws and rules of Florida. That gave me the possibility to work quickly and be confident with the midwifery… Read more “A valuable opportunity to learn”

Jorge Urdaneta
Miami, Florida | Licensure by Endorsement Program

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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

How much do your programs cost?

Our Licensure by Endorsement Program’s tuition is $6,000. 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.

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.

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 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 admissions@commonsensemidwifery.org.

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


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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. 

Can I use CCSM’s Licensure by Endorsement to get licensed in a different state than Florida?

Licensure in each state is unique to their state rules and regulations, so our Licensure by Endorsement program is not transferable to a different state than Florida. However, Florida licensure can open the pathway to licensure in other states, so please reach out to us to discuss your specific situation.

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.

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.

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 exam 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.