Nurse-Midwifery Specialty -School of Nursing

Specialty Highlights 

Complete in 5 Full-time Semesters

MN Prespecialty students complete in 4-5 semesters. Part-time plans are also available.

Hybrid Learning Format

Students take preparatory classes virtually their first semester (fall), then switch to an in-person format with face-to-face classes on campus for their spring, summer and second fall semester.

Robust Clinical Experience

Over 840 hours of clinical practice. Faculty arrange clinical sites for students, who are placed at vetted clinical sites across the U.S.

In-person Opportunities

Small and collaborative classes have low faculty-to-student ratios and provide personalized attention. Students establish a sense of belonging and build life-long relationships with their cohort.

My experience at VUSN shaped me not just to become a nurse-midwife, but also to become a leader.

Margaret Buxton, DNP, MSN’98, CNM
Vice President, Clinical Operations
Diana Health

Prestigious Program with Exceptional Outcomes

#1 ranked Nurse-Midwifery program for nearly a decade.
Our extensive nurse-midwifery faculty practice provides student clinical experience at multiple clinics, Vanderbilt's birth center and Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Classes are small and collaborative, with low faculty-to-student ratios and personalized attention.

Curriculum & Objectives

We offer a rigorous curriculum, low faculty-to-student ratios and one of the nation’s largest nurse-midwifery faculty practices in a university setting in the country. Our practice-active faculty use a mix of traditional classroom settings, simulated experiences and clinical training to fully prepare students for a career in this field. Graduates are prepared to work independently and in collaboration with other health professionals.

The Vanderbilt Nurse-Midwifery curriculum is based on the 2020 Core Competencies for Basic Midwifery Practice developed by the American College of Nurse-Midwives. The NM curriculum assures that Vanderbilt students receive a comprehensive and up-to-date education that meets the highest standards in nursing education and assures they are well-prepared for practice.

Explore the MSN full-time, MSN part-time, MN Prespecialty, sample Post-Master's Certificate and DNP curriculums. Explore the textbooks used in this specialty.

Watch an overview of the Nurse-Midwifery curriculum

Clinical Experience

As students progress through the program, they receive a greater amount of clinical learning than classroom learning. Over the course of the program, students engage in more than 840 clinical hours, divided into three rotations. The intrapartum and integration rotations will involve night and weekend call. Students receive nearly 100 hours of direct, hands-on skills practice prior to moving into intrapartum clinical practicums.

Clinical experiences vary by semester:

Summer 1: Students' sites are within 4-5 hours of Nashville
Fall 2 & Spring 2: Students may be placed anywhere in the U.S.

Watch this short video regarding clinical rotations.

Time Commitment

This accelerated specialty is best suited for motivated, self-directed learners who can master large amounts of complex material in a short time. Balancing full-time or part-time work with the program’s rigorous, full-time, accelerated curriculum is not recommended, although the specialty can be completed on a part-time basis. The Nurse-Midwifery specialty is 5 semesters (20 months) for MSN full-time students and 4 semesters (16 months) for Vanderbilt MN Prespecialty students.

Outcomes

As Certified Nurse Midwives, graduates provide care to individuals in urban and rural settings, including hospitals, OB-GYN clinics, private OB-GYN practices, public health clinics, birthing centers, military bases, Indian Health Service sites and others. On completion of the midwifery program, students are eligible to take the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) exam. On completion of the AMCB exam, graduates will be Certified Nurse-Midwives and can obtain licensure to practice in all U.S. states.

Enrollment, Graduation and Attrition Rates

Full-Time Students

Full-Time Students Completion of 4 Semesters
Matriculation Year	2022	2023	2024
Number of students matriculating in this cohort	24	25	26
VUSN Goal for On-time Graduation	75%	75%	75%
VUSN Goal for Final Graduation Rate	80%	80%	80%
Number who left the program	1	0	1
Number still enrolled or on LOA	0	0	25
Number who graduated on time^b	22	25	pending
Number who graduated, but not on-time	1	0	pending
On-time Graduation Rate	91.6%*	100%	pending
Final Graduation Rate	95.8**	100%	pending
*b/a
**b+c/a

Part-Time Students

*Part-Time Students Completion of 8 Semesters**
Matriculation Year	2022	2023	2024
Number of students matriculating in this cohort	3*	3	0
VUSN Goal for On-time Graduation	70%	70%	70%
VUSN Goal for Final Graduation Rate	80%	80%	80%
number who left the program	0%	1	n/a
Number still enrolled or on LOA	0	2	n/a
Number who graduated on time	1	pending	n/a
Number who graduated, but not on-time	2	pending	n/a
On-time Graduation Rate	33%**	pending	n/a
Final Graduation Rate	100%**	pending	n/a
*2 of 3 students moved from FT plan of study to PT plan of study
*b/a
**b+c/a

What are the special funding opportunities for Nurse-Midwifery students?

MEADOW – The MEADOW program goal is to train nurse-midwives through trainee scholarships, stipends, curricular enhancement, and community-based training
Learn about the MEADOW program

The Nurse-Midwifery program stands out for its rigorous academic training combined with extensive hands-on experience, preparing students to provide exceptional, holistic care to women and newborns. Our dedicated faculty, state-of-the-art facilities, and strong emphasis on evidence-based practice ensure that graduates are well-equipped to excel as compassionate and skilled nurse-midwives in diverse health care settings.

Kendra Faucett, DNP, CNM, APRN, CNE, FACNM
Director, Nurse-Midwifery Specialty
Assistant Professor
Meet Our Faculty

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

What is the role of the Certified Nurse-Midwife?

Certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) provide primary care services including reproductive health care, for women/individuals from adolescence onward and well newborns up to 28 days of life. Nurse-midwives provide care in a wide range of outpatient and inpatient settings including clinics, hospitals, birth centers, and homes. More information about midwifery scope of practice can be found on the American College of Nurse-Midwives website.
Certified nurse-midwives provide personalized care to women/individuals from diverse backgrounds that merges the woman’s medical needs and personal preferences. While CNMs independently provide care to low-risk women, they work collaboratively with other perinatal care providers to ensure all women receive appropriate medical care. Collaboration with an interprofessional team is a hallmark of the profession.
While work in the clinic usually fits within business hours, the care CNMs provide to laboring, birthing, and postpartum women and their newborns occurs at all hours of the day and night, including holidays. Provision of high-quality, personalized health care to women/individuals cannot wait. Anyone pursuing a career as a CNM must be able to work nights and for 24-hour call shifts. In smaller practices or rural settings, a CNM may be on-call 24/7 or with only one other CNM splitting call. In larger practices or academic settings, CNMs typically have a combination of 12-hour call shifts and clinic/office days. All CNMs work some nights and holidays and spread these amongst their team.

Prior Experience

Do I have to be a nurse to enter the Nurse-Midwifery specialty?

No. If you have a bachelor’s degree or higher in a field other than nursing, you can complete a Vanderbilt’s 1 year Master of Nursing program and then progress to the Nurse-Midwifery specialty.
Do I need RN work experience to enter the Nurse-Midwifery specialty?

No. You can enter the specialty without RN work experience. While previous labor and delivery experience is a definite advantage, we take applicants with a wide range of prior life and work experiences.

Admissions

Will applicant interviews be scheduled?

The nurse-midwifery program does not conduct interviews as part of the application process. We will use your submitted application packet in our holistic review process to make admissions decisions.
How many students are accepted into the Nurse-Midwifery specialty each year?

The number of students offered admission can vary each year based on many factors. Typically, we admit about 28-30 students into this specialty each year. We strongly recommended that you complete your application by the early action date to have a greater probability of being admitted.
I graduated from a midwifery program accredited by MEAC – Midwifery Education Accreditation Council. Am I eligible to apply to the Nurse-Midwifery program?

You will need to complete a bachelor’s degree. If you have a non-nursing Bachelor’s Degree, you can apply to Vanderbilt’s Master of Nursing program to become an RN and then start the Nurse-Midwifery post-master’s certificate. If you have a BSN, you will need to have taken the prerequisite courses in human anatomy, human physiology, microbiology, nutrition, developmental psychology and statistics. If admitted, you will take the entire curriculum. No credit will be awarded for previous MEAC midwifery courses.

Specialty Format

Do I have to move to Nashville for the Nurse-Midwifery Specialty?

The nurse-midwifery program involves on-site coursework in all semesters. The first fall of the specialty year, all classes are virtual. The first spring of the specialty year involves onsite courses for several days a week. In the first summer, students will have classes on campus one day a week and clinical practicum sites within a 4-5 hour radius of Nashville. In the second fall of the specialty year, students are on-site for the first month for intense skills training. Then, for the remainder of that fall and third spring term, students will be in clinical sites all over the US and have virtual classes. For the final week of the program that spring, students will be back to VUSN for a week of intensives before pinning and graduation in May. Many of our students find that leases that go month-to-month are ideal.
Can I take the Nurse-Midwifery Specialty part-time?

We offer a part-time option in the specialty year for both midwifery and dual midwifery/FNP students.
What are the clinical requirements for the Nurse-Midwifery Specialty?

We use the American College of Nurse-Midwives Core Competencies as the basis for our curriculum and clinical competencies. In order to be prepared for practice, students need to meet all the competencies. We provide several different clinical rotations to assist students in meeting clinical competencies. Over the course of the program, we provide access to 840 direct patient care clinical hours, divided into the rotations described below. Additional clinical hours are through simulation and clinical conferences for close to 1,000 clinical hours. These clinical rotations will be at variety of sites and the intrapartum and integration rotations will involve night and weekend call.
Can I work full time and go to school full time?

Working while working full-time while pursing a full-time the Vanderbilt Nurse-Midwifery program is not feasible. Between classes and outside class preparation and studying, a student will be busy for over 40 hours a week. For the part-time students, working is possible the first year, but not possible once intensive clinicals begin (6815, 6825, 6835 and 6895). It is not to maintain a job and meet the demands of the clinical practicum.
Do I find my own preceptor?

No. The VUSN nurse-midwifery clinical placement team finds clinical sites for all of our students. The nurse-midwifery faculty match each student to a location. Our clinical placement staff spearheads the formation of contracts and credentialing and onboarding for all students.
How do you match me with a clinical preceptor?

Faculty work diligently to match you with appropriate preceptors so you can learn from clinical mentors and apply your new skills and knowledge. Many of our preceptors are alumni of the program.

After graduation

What will my credentials and certifications be after completion of the Nurse-Midwifery Specialty?

Graduation from the NM specialty prepares you to take the national certification exam, offered by the American Midwifery Certification Board. Once you have also passed the certification exam, you will be a Certified Nurse-Midwife (ACNM).
Certified Nurse-Midwives are usually licensed as Advanced Practice Nurses in most states. To learn about the specific state certification and laws for CNM practice in your area, look at the websites of individual state boards of nursing or midwifery and the American College of Nurse-Midwives. While CNMs practice around the globe, midwifery regulation occurs at the state or national level and individuals may need additional certifications or licensure to practice outside of the United States.
What is the VUSN student pass rate on the certification exams?

Our students typically score well above national averages on the American Midwifery Certification Board exams. Students begin formally studying for the board exam in their final semester. Additional preparation after graduation is required.
Will I earn my nursing license?

If you enter without a nursing degree, you will take the NCLEX to obtain your Tennessee RN license after the Master of Nursing Program.
Will I be able to get a job after graduation?

Vanderbilt’s Nurse-Midwifery specialty has a stellar national reputation; graduates from our specialty are well-equipped to start their careers. Certain geographic areas of the country such as the Northeast, Southwest, and Northwest have a high demand for nurse-midwifery services. Students who are flexible in where they would like to work and are open to practicing in health professional shortage areas do not often have any trouble finding a job after graduation.
Can I get a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree?

Yes! See DNP program details.

Student Opportunities

View Admissions Information

Take the Next Step

The Nurse-Midwifery specialty is available as part of the Master of Science in Nursing, Master of Nursing Prespecialty, Post-Master’s Certificate and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs. Request information about the program or contact your admissions counselor.

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