Delaware Code Title 24. Professions and Occupations § 1799FF. Definitions

(1) “Board” means the Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline.

(2) “Certified midwife” or “CM” means a practitioner who has received certification by the American Midwifery Certification Board or its equivalent or successor.

(3) “Certified professional midwife” or “CPM” means a practitioner who has received certification by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) or its equivalent or successor.

(4) “Client” means a woman under the care of a midwife and, when applicable in the context of care, the newborn.

(5) “Council” means the Midwifery Advisory Council.

(6) “Home birth” means a birth outside of a hospital or an otherwise accredited or licensed hospital or medical facility.

(7) “License” means, unless the context requires otherwise, a license issued by the Board to practice midwifery.

(8) “Midwife” means a person who practices midwifery.

(9) “Midwifery” means the practice of providing supervision, care, and advice to a client during prepartum, pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum periods, and conducting deliveries on the midwife’s own responsibility or in collaboration with a licensed physician, or licensed Delaware health-care delivery system. The licensed practice of midwifery includes taking certain safety measures and identifying the physical, social and emotional needs of the client. The practice of midwifery requires that level of education, experience, knowledge, and skill ordinarily expected of an individual who meets the requirements for licensure pursuant to this chapter. In order to practice midwifery in the State, a midwife must be licensed pursuant to this chapter. For the purposes of this chapter, “midwifery” does not include the practice of certified nurse midwives, as defined in Chapter 19 of this title, nor does it include the practice of a person licensed to practice medicine pursuant to this chapter.

(10) “Midwifery student” means a person who is enrolled in an accredited educational program and who may provide midwifery services as a part of that person's educational program.

(11) “Practice of a certified midwife” means the management of women's health care, pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum care for newborns, family planning, and gynecological services consistent with the Standards of Practice of the American College of Nurse-Midwives and the education, training, and experience of the certified midwife.

(12) “Practice of a certified professional midwife” means the provision of continuous care for women throughout the childbearing cycle which CPMs are qualified to provide. The CPM credential requires knowledge about and experience in out-of-hospital settings. The scope of practice of the licensed CPM is further derived from the North American Registry of Midwives Job Analysis, state laws and regulations, and individual practice guidelines developed according to acquired professional skills and knowledge.