Best Nurse Midwifery Schools

Vanderbilt’s midwifery school is next door to its University Medical Center, one of the nation's top medical centers. Not only is Vanderbilt's nurse-midwifery program one of the largest in the US, but it's also quite rigorous and competitive.

Vanderbilt University's midwife school has a faculty of doctorally prepared educators who use a combination of classroom, simulation, and clinical midwife training to prepare aspiring midwives for certification. The school also reports a low faculty-to-student ratio and personalized education to students.

Nurse midwives are present in nearly 20% of all births in and around Portland, Oregon, so it makes sense that one of the best nurse midwifery schools is in the area. Portland's Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) is between the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade mountain range. 

The OHSU Nurse-Midwifery program has taught students for over 30 years between the university hospital and surrounding clinics. Students learn by attending many of the births at the OHSU hospital. 

Students earn over 1000 hours of individualized, supervised practice before graduation from OHSU in diverse patient populations and clinics in the surrounding areas.

The University of Michigan (UM)  at Ann Arbor, Michigan, offers two options for nurses who want to be nurse-midwives:

• A Nurse-Midwifery-MSN
• A Nurse-Midwifery-DNP

UM created the first graduate nurse-midwifery program in Michigan to address high infant mortality rates. Now UM midwifery graduates work in organizations such as birth centers, hospitals, and private and public clinics.

UM aims to provide midwife training and education to nurses to become teachers, advocates, researchers, and public educators. The UM midwifery website also boasts that faculty within the program works with each student to understand their goals before classes begin. 

The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) is a private Ivy League institution established in 1740. The UPenn midwifery school website states that they offer unique clinical education opportunities in addition to the most current research in the field. 

This program is also unique because it is a double major, and graduates are eligible for two national certification exams:

• The certification exam for Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNM)
• Certification to be a Women’s Health Nurse-Practitioner by the National Certification Corporation (NCC)

Some of the skills taught at UPenn that may not be available through other midwifery programs include but aren't limited to OB ultrasonography, IUD insertion, and endometrial biopsy procedures. 

East Carolina University in North Carolina's nurse midwife schooling prepares registered nurses to become competent practitioners of nurse-midwifery as certified nurse midwives. Graduates earn an MSN or Post Masters Certificate in nurse-midwifery and can sit for the American Midwifery Certification Board exam.

Students are not required to have labor and delivery experience before applying but may be asked to get training as a Doula or enroll in an independent study.

University of Minnesota’s midwifery school resides in a community of diverse practices, giving it an edge in clinical experience opportunities. Another reason students love UNM's midwifery program is that it's primarily online. Online midwifery programs combined with scheduled in-person sessions allow for learning flexibility other programs can't offer.

Midwifery students can also earn an additional 12-credit Certification in Integrative Therapies and Healing Practices or a minor in Public Health.

Located in Seattle with many of the best healthcare facilities nationwide, the University of Washington offers a highly-ranked DNP nurse-midwifery school. This program has been educating nurse-midwives for over 20 years, and they work with over 20 clinical sites throughout the area.

Students must attend the program on-site and full-time. After completing the program, students can sit for the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) certification exam. Past rates from 2014 to 2018 were 98% and 100% for students who took the exam a second time.

The University of Utah states that its mission is to prepare clinically component nurse-midwives to care for women and their families and become leaders in the community. Their DNP midwifery program takes three years to complete if attending full-time.

The University of Utah has the oldest midwifery program west of the Mississippi. Students can complete dual Nurse-midwifery (NM) and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP) specialties. However, this path extends the program by about one semester. 

Founded in 1955, Columbia Universities' midwifery program was one of the first in the US.  As an Ivy League school, the university has an excellent track record for providing quality midwifery education. 

Columbia University’s midwifery program boasts excellent pass rates for graduates, including:

• A 100% Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) pass rate
• A 100% Annual American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) pass rate for test-takers

In addition, 100% of graduates from Columbia University’s midwifery program are employed within one year of graduation.

Upon graduation, students are prepared to provide a wide range of women and infant health care, including pregnancy, delivery, gynecology, antepartum care, and postpartum care. 

The University of Colorado in Denver offers coursework to the state and the Mountain West. The university boasts several clinical faculty practice sites that provide high-quality clinical education in Denver and more remote Colorado areas. The University is also striving to expand clinical placements in boarding states.