Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Why does the Certificate Maintenance Program cost so much?

A. The Certificate Maintenance Program provides many services for its members. It maintains records of your certification which can be verified by employers or credentialing bodies. To do this, it maintains an office and staff in Linthicum, Maryland. It also supports a Certificate Maintenance Committee who meet twice a year to produce and evaluate the continuing education modules. The members of this committee donate their time but have their travel expenses covered by AMCB.

The cost of the certificate maintenance process is linked with the cost of the exam. Since the choices for recertification every 8 years are to take the AMCB exam or complete 3 modules and 2 CEUs, it was decided to make the choices financially equal. Therefore, the cost of the CMP process over the course of 8 years should be roughly equal to the cost of retaking the exam.

Q. Why do the article packets cost so much?

A. The articles in the packets are under copyright protection. Before we can distribute them, we must pay copyright fees and often times these fees are very expensive. We also incure the cost of printing, binding, and shipping. We make every attempt to reduce these costs by printing in bulk and using the most economical shipping methods. We are also investigating online access.

Q. Why don't CNMs/CMs certified before 1996 need to participate in the Certificate Maintenance Program?

A. The American College of Nurse Midwives formed the ACNM Certification Council (ACC) in 1990. This was needed to comply with legal regulations concerning certification. In 1996, the ACC began issuing time-limited certificates and requiring certification every 8 years in order to better ensure competency of certified midwives. When mandating a new form of certification, it is not permissible to retroactively change the requirements for certification. Therefore only those midwives certified after 1996 must participate in the Certificate Maintenance Program. The ACC changed its name to the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) in 2005 in order to decrease confusion.

CNMs certified before 1996 may be required to participate in the ACNM's Continuing Competency Assessment (CCA) Program.

Q. What is the purpose of the modules?

A. The modules serve to ensure that midwives are exposed to current literature applicable to current midwifery practice.

Q. How long do I have to keep proof of my CEUs?

A. Ten percent of participants in each eight-year cycle will have CEUs randomly audited at the end of their cycle. It is recommended that you keep CEU verifications one year past the end of each cycle. (You may also need to keep the CEU verifications for longer periods if your licensing body requires them.) Please do not send copies of your certificates CEUs completed unless you are contacted by AMCB and asked to do so. AMCB does not maintain CEU files.

Q. How do I update my CEUS?

A. AMCB requires that all CEU information be entered by the certificant via AMCB's website at http://www.amcbmidwife.org . After logging into the website, you will be able to update your CEU information by clicking on the "Update CEU History" link.

Q. How often are new modules developed?

A. One new module is developed each year and is active for 34 months. The module is then closed for participation on October 1st during its third year. In an eight-year cycle, at least three versions of each practice area (Antepartum, Intrapartum, and Gynecology and Primary Care of the Well Woman) will be available.

Q. When are modules graded?

A. Each module will have six opportunities for grading since a module is active for 34 months. Modules are graded two times per year, each year that they are active. The first grading of the year is April 1st and the second grading is October 1st. Answer sheets may be mailed so that they are received anytime prior to the deadlines.

Remaining gradings for the modules currently active are as follows:

AP (2005-2007): EXPIRED - new module will be available in January 2008

IP (2006-2008):  4/1/2008, 10/1/2008

 

GYN (2007-2009): 4/1/2008, 10/1/2008, 4/1/2009, 10/1/2009

If answer sheets are received after the third year's October 1st deadline, they will not be graded and that module will not count towards the individual's Certificate Maintenance Program requirements.    

Q. How difficult are the modules?

A. The module exams are open-book and should not be difficult to pass if the participant reads the referenced articles. Answers are directly referenced from the articles.

If you do not get a passing score of 75% or better, you may request another answer sheet and re-take a module exam one time as long as the module is still active. If you fail the module exam two times, you will need to complete another module in the same practice area within the eight-year cycle. There will be an additional fee for the second module in a given practice area.

Q. How are topics chosen for modules?

A. The AMCB Certificate Maintenance Committee decides on topics for modules. The Certificate Maintenance Committee is composed of both midwives with time-limited and non-time-limited certificates from a variety of practice-models and geographical locations. The topics for a module are chosen based upon nationally recognized population-based health needs of women and infants, and the periodic task analyses of midwifery practice done by the AMCB. The Committee will also solicit topics from certified CNMs/CMs through announcements in Quickening.

Q. How do I obtain a certificate maintenance module?

A. You may order modules by indicating your preference on your Annual Activity Form, by ordering via the AMCB website or by calling our office and placing a phone order.

Q. How do I access the articles referenced in the modules?

A. Articles can be obtained from any source of professional journals. The articles are typically from commonly used midwifery, nursing, and obstetric journals. They may also be purchased as an entire module articles reprint packet from the AMCB for $95.00. Individual articles will not be available for purchase from the AMCB.

Q. How soon will I get exam results from my module?

A. Module exam results will be available approximately 30-60 days after the deadlines. You will receive notification by mail of your results.

Q. What do I do if I forget to send my annual fee?

A. Annual fees sent in late will be assessed a late fee. A reminder will be sent to your address on file from AMCB Headquarters. Even if you do not participate in CMP for a given year (i.e. do not complete a module that year) you must continue to pay the annual fee to keep your application current. Outstanding balances must be paid prior to receiving new certification.

Q. Is there an appeals policy?

A. Yes. A copy can be obtained from AMCB Headquarters.

Q. When will my new certificate be issued?

A. If all CMP requirements are complete by October 1st of the final year, you will receive your new certificate by the end of the year. Your new certificate expiration date will appear in the online verification database.

Q. If my certification expires, what are my options?

A. Effective January 1, 2006: CNM/CMs with lapsed certification must pay the exam fee, (previous fees paid into CMP do not apply to exam fee), take the exam (CBT), and submit an average of 10 ACNM/ACCME continuing education contact hours for each year  since the date of last certification, to re-certify. CNM/CMs are eligible to sit for the exam for two years (24 months) from the date of the completed application.

A. Yes. AMCB will accept clinical precepting hours as part of its CEU requirement. CMP participants can earn up to the equivalent of 1.0 CEU (10 contact hours) over their 8 year cycle. Contact hours will be calculated as 9 hours of clinical precepting equals 1 contact hour (0.1 CEU); maximum amount accepted would be 90 hours of precepting. CMP participants should document the Education Program they precept for, dates, and number of hours.

Q. Who do I contact for further information?

A. You may contact Leslie Hughes, CMP Manager of AMCB Headquarters for further information involving CMP at 410-694-9424 or by email lhughes@amcbmidwife.org.