"I have been very happy with my experience with NMI. I would recommend the school to anyone interested in midwifery." ~ an NMI graduate

Mission

Our mission is to provide exceptional, decentralized, apprenticeship-based direct-entry midwifery education. Our program prepares aspiring midwives to provide comprehensive midwifery care while studying in their own communities, fully in touch with the individuals and families they serve, to assure that the choice of sensitive, competent midwifery care may be readily available to birthing people and their families everywhere.

Philosophy and Purpose

We believe that the study of midwifery is a self-motivated and organic process, springing forth from the fertile ground of community and family. Just as there have always been and will always be birthing women/persons, so the midwife is called into practice. It is our experience that the midwifery model of care is best upheld by students who have studied in their own communities and have become an integral part of the local birth network by the time they are ready to work independently.

 We further believe that birth is a transformational process for everyone involved, with its own intrinsic value for personal growth and development. We support woman/pregnant person centered birth, and seek to uphold the rights of women/pregnant persons to define their needs and identify their support systems. While midwives set parameters of safety, it is women/birthing persons who, through the process of informed consent, make decisions regarding their care and the care of their babies.

In the context of midwifery education, we hope to prepare students to practice skillfully, artfully, and sensitively. We are continually inspired by student curiosity and love of learning. Motivated by the memory of our teachers, we support students in forming healthy, egalitarian relationships with instructors, preceptors, clients, fellow students, and other professional colleagues. We are driven to teach students to take responsibility for themselves, both personally and professionally.

It is our purpose to prepare midwives for the scope of practice outlined by the Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) core competencies, the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) certification guidelines, the California Midwifery licensing requirements as well as many other state licensure requirements, and International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) International Definition of the Midwife.

Anti-Oppression Statement

Acknowledgement of Past Harms

For the past century, midwifery in the United States has looked very homogenous: namely, both the midwifery workforce and clientele have been disproportionately White, cisgender, middle class, and urban/suburban. Historically, it has not always been this way. Almost every culture and community has a rich tradition of midwifery. The professionalized practice routes we have today were built upon, and appropriated from, the knowledge and contributions of midwives practicing from within their traditions from all over the world. In the USA specifically, the contributions to midwifery practice made by Indigenous and Black Grand Midwives, and other communities of color, have been undervalued. These midwives worked alongside and often in spite of European immigrant and colonial midwives. Like most systems in the global north and USA, midwifery has been influenced by cis-hetero White supremacy; the legacies of colonization, industrialized medicine, and patriarchy continue to influence midwifery practice and culture today.

The midwifery landscape in the U.S. is rapidly changing. More voices are represented than ever before.

At NMI, we acknowledge that most midwifery institutions and organizations, as well as clinical apprenticeships, are run by and operate in a way that normalizes and prioritizes White, cisgender, and heterosexual individuals and cultural ideologies. NMI also acknowledges that we, as an institution, have been complicit in, and in some instances, have directly caused harm to Black, Indigenous, and students of color; LGBTQAI+ students; and other students who are racialized, marginalized, or categorically “othered.” In addition, we know that students who have attended NMI have experienced hardship and discrimination in their apprenticeships or in classroom settings at NMI based on their identity, and felt unable to report this due to fear of retaliation. We apologize for the role we have played in upholding systems of oppression in midwifery education. We recognize that it is our responsibility as an institution to continue to dig deeper and do better.

Anti-Racism and anti-oppression work is essential to midwifery. Evidence-based practice requires us to acknowledge that racism and systemic oppression cause health disparities and harm birthing people, their families, and their communities.

As an institution, we recognize the following truths

• Racism is a risk factor, not race;

• People of all genders give birth;

• The use of inclusive language does not erase any individual’s experience, but validates and affirms everyone’s experience;

• Anti-racism and anti-oppression work directly impacts the health and wellbeing of people and communities, and is therefore essential to midwifery;

• To “treat everyone the same” and ignore the unique health needs of various populations is medical neglect and causes perinatal morbidity and mortality rates to rise;

• We are all operating in a culture of White supremacy, and if we do not actively work to dismantle structures that uphold White supremacy, we are working to maintain them.

Our Commitment at NMI

NMI is working towards a more just and equitable experience for students, staff, and faculty, and we will always have more work to do. We are committed to the work of anti-oppression for better student and employee experiences, and for better perinatal outcomes, especially for communities most affected by practices of marginalization. Our processes are imperfect and must continue to grow.

At this time, we have the following in place to support students who face racism and discrimination during their midwifery education journey:

• We have implemented Restorative Processes with a third party's help when conflict does arise;

• The directors and staff are here to offer students support, academic planning, and goal setting, and to listen to students' experiences so we can improve the program and troubleshoot challenging situations to support individual student needs;

• NMI works to weave equity and inclusion into all aspects of our operations, curriculum, and midwifery training;

• We have FB and Zoom affinity group space for BIPOC and LGBTQAI+ students to connect with one another and find support;

• We regularly prioritize the voices and experience of BIPOC and LGBTQAI+ individuals in our guest speaker series to ensure that aspiring midwives at all midwifery schools, not just NMI, can see themselves reflected in their teachers and educators.

Non-Discrimination Statement

The National Midwifery Institute is an equal opportunity employer and educational institution. NMI does not discriminate and does not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or discipline against any individual or group on the basis of their actual, implied or perceived: race; color; national or ethnic origin or ancestry; religion or creed; sex, gender, gender identity or express, including transgender identity; sexual orientation; marital status; familial status; age; disability; genetic information; or any other protected category under federal, state, or local law.

To learn more, view the NMI Handbook.