AMCB-CNM American Midwifery Certification Board: Certified Nurse-Midwife

AMCB Nurse Midwife Certification & Exam 

The AMCB CNM nursing Certification Exam's objective is to provide a national standard for the information required of a beginning nurse midwife practitioner for safe practice. A significant element of midwifery professional quality assurance is the certification process. Since 1971, nurse-midwives have been certified through examination. At that time, the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), initially the Division of Examiners and eventually the Division of Competency Assessment, held responsibility for certification. The AMCB was established as a separate organization in 1991 and given responsibility for tasks relating to the midwifery certificate following the professional requirement that certification is kept separate from the professional organization. 

Candidates must obtain a master's degree or higher in nurse-midwifery from a program authorized by the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education to get certified as a nurse-midwife (CNM). They also need to have a current RN license (ACME). 

Exam Topic:

EXAM TOPICS	Previous Percentage	Current Percentage
Antepartum	20.8%	21%
Intrapartum	21.6%	21%
Postpartum	16.8%	18%
Newborn	12%	10%
Gynecology	16%	19%
Primary Care	12.8%	11%

 

Other Topics:

• Women’s Health and Primary Care
• Antepartum Care

• Intrapartum Care
• Postpartum

• Neonatal Care
• Family Planning and Gynecology

 

Exam Format:

The AMCB Nurse Midwife Certification exam consists of 175 multiple-choice questions with four hours of time duration. This nursing certification exam costs $500. However, its processing fee of $121.00 for examination rescheduled without at least 2 business days’ notice

Recertification:

If candidates fail the CNM exam on their first try, they have up to three additional chances to pass it within 24 months after receiving their graduate degree in nurse-midwifery.  The first retake may not be taken earlier than 90 days after the last test. To request a retake of the exam, candidates must write to the AMCB. There is no need to apply again, but candidates must pay the total $500 exam price and provide documentation that their RN license is in good standing each time they retake the exam.

After completing the Certificate Maintenance Program, CNMs must renew their CNM designation every five years. The CNM designation can only be restored by CNMs who fulfill the requirements of the Certificate Maintenance Program before the conclusion of their current certification cycle.