Q. What will the new Certificate Maintenance Program requirements be?
A. Effective January 1, 2010, there will be changes within the Certificate Maintenance Program. For those currently enrolled in the CMP (certified prior to 1996), the module and CEU requirements will remain the same (3 modules and 2.0 CEUs) however, you will also be required to submit verification of an active license with no restrictions, to demonstrate professional standing.
Q. How will the new certification changes affect my certification?
Your current certification cycle will not change if your current expiration date is one of the following:
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If your current certificate expires on: |
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December 31, 2010 |
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December 31, 2011 |
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December 31, 2012 |
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December 31, 2013 |
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December 31, 2014 |
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December 31, 2015 |
However, if your current certificate expires on December 31, 2016, please see the table below:
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If your current certificate expires on: |
Your new expiration date will be: |
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December 31, 2016 |
December 31, 2015 |
For all current CMP participants, your certification cycle will change from 8 to 5 years once your current certification cycle has expired and your certificate renews.
Q. Why does the CMP 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.
Starting in 2010, the cost of the program will be decreased to $65 per year. Those individuals who have pre-paid for their 8-year cycle will receive a credit to their account.
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.
Q. Why don't CNMs/CMs certified before 1996 need to participate in the Certificate Maintenance Program?
A. As of January 1, 2010 all certified nurse-midwives and certified midwives were issued time limited certificates and enrolled in the Certificate Maintenance Program.
Q. What is the purpose of the modules?
A. The modules serve to ensure that midwives during a certification cycle are exposed to current literatute applicable to the full-scope of midwifery practice.
Q. How long do I have to keep proof of my CEUs?
A. Ten percent of participants in each certification 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 CEU verifications for longer periods if your licensing body requires them). Please do not send copies of your CEU certificates 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 December 1st during its third year. In a five year cycle, at least two 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 manual grading as a module is active for 34 months. Modules are manually graded two times per year, each year that they are active. The first grading of the year is April 1st and the second grading of the year is October 1st. Answer sheets may be mailed so that they are received prior to the deadlines.
If answer sheets are received after the third year's October 1st grading, they will not be graded and that module will not count towards the individual's Certificate Maintenance Program requirements.
Modules are also available for completion online through our website. This option allows you to take the module at anytime and to receive instant Pass/Fail results. Once you have passed the module, you can then print your own Pass letter directly from our website.
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 receive a passing score of 75% or better, you may request another answer sheet and re-take a module exam two additional times as long as the module is still active. If you fail the module exam three times, you will need to complete another module in the same practice area within the five-year cycle.
You may also take the modules online through our website to receive instant Pass/Fail results.
Q. How are the topics chosen for the modules?
A. The AMCB Certifiicate Maintenance Program Committee decides on topics for modules. The committee is comprised of midwives 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 periodic task analyses of midwifery practice done by the AMCB. The committee will also solicit topics from 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 and article reprint packet from AMCB for $65.00. Individual articles will not be available for purchase from AMCB.
Please note: If you place an order for an article set and do not receive your order, please notify our office immediately. To be resent an article set, notification of non-receipt must be received within 30 days of the order's original processing/mailing date.
Q. How soon will I receive exam results for my module?
A. Module exam results will be available approximately 30-60 days after the deadlines if you complete them for manual grading. You will receive notification via mail of your results. You may also complete the modules online through our website for instant Pass/Fail results.
Q. What should I do if I forget to pay 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 certification current. Outstanding balances must be paid prior to receiving new certification.
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. You new certificate expiration date will appear in the online verification database, as well.
Q. If my certificate expires, what are my options?
A. Effective January 1, 2006: CNMs/CMs with lapsed certification must pay the exam fee (previous fees paid into CMP do not apply to exam fee), take and pass the exam (CBT), and submit an average of 10 ACNM / ACCME continuing education contact hours per year since the date of last certification (up to a maximum of 100 hours), to recertify. CNMs/CMs are eligible to sit for the exam for two years (24 months) from the date of the completed application.
As of January 1, 2011, a graduate degree will be required to be eligible to take the AMCB certification examination. This would include certificants who have allowed their certification to lapse.
Q. Can I receive credit for clinical precepting?
A. Yes. AMCB will accept clinical precepting hours as part of its CEU requirement. If an individual has provided direct clinical supervision as a preceptor to an SNM or SM, she or he may receive recognition in lieu of up to 10 contact hours or 1.0 ACNM CEU for 90 hours spent precepting over the certification cycle. A letter from the faculty coordinator is required for documentation.
Contact hours will be calculated as 9 hours of clinical precepting is equal to 1 contact hour (0.1 CEU). The maximum amount accepted would be 90 hours of precepting.
Q. What is the procedure for submitting a name change?
A. If you need to change your name with AMCB, you must provide us with a legally issued document to serve as proof of your legal name change. Documents acceptable by AMCB to prove a legal name change include: Marriage document, Divorce decree, Certificate of Naturalization showing a new name, Court order for a name change, or a Notarized passport.
If the document you provide as evidence of a legal name change does not give us enough information to identify you in our records, you will need to provide AMCB with additional documentation.
Q. Why am I required to submit documentation for a name change?
A. We require proof of name changes to protect our certificants, because without supporting documentation, anyone would be able to contact our organization and change someone's name. This could then cause issues for the certificant when trying to obtain verification for licensure and/or employment.
If you have previously updated your name with the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), documentation of a name change will still need to be submitted to the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) as the two organizations are seperate entities.
Q. What do I need to do if I want to retire in good standing?
A. CNMs and CMs who are permanently retired from midwifery practice and who no longer have clinical or professional requirements, may choose to be placed in AMCB's retirement classification. Retired CNMs/CMs may use the title CNM(ret.) or CM(ret.). Any CNM/CM may contact us by 6/30/2012 to have your name moved to the Retired category. (Recognizing that CNMs/CMs who are in the Retired or Inactive categories will have substantial educational requirements if they decide to re-enter active certification.) Effective 7/1/2012, a CNM/CM who opts to be considered Retired must be have completed ALL of their requirements of their current CMP cycle. If you were certified since 1996, you must have completed one full 5 year cycle in good standing.
Q. Who should I contact for further information?
