A MASTERS-DEGREE FOR ENTRY-LEVEL ACNM-CERTIFIED MIDWIVES - AN OPTION OR NECESSITY

The health care industry is a massive system that is changing so rapid ly that it is reinventing itself. With these changes, added demands ha ve been placed on the knowledge base and practice of nurse-midwifery w ith emphasis on primary care, administration, and research as well as traditionally accepted nurse-midwifery practice. The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) has a history of being alert to consumer dema nds, sociopolitical forces, and the health care industry itself as sti muli for change after full dialogue with the membership and appropriat e study. Because the ACNM Division of Accreditation will be requiring a baccalaureate degree upon entrance or completion of each midwifery e ducation program by June 1999, dialogue should begin now about the ben efits of requiring a masters degree as the entry-level credential. (C) 1997 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.