(1) The department shall adopt standards for midwifery programs. The standards shall encompass clinical and classroom instruction in all aspects of prenatal, intrapartal, and postpartal care, including obstetrics; neonatal pediatrics; basic sciences; female reproductive anatomy and physiology; behavioral sciences; childbirth education; community care; epidemiology; genetics; embryology; neonatology; applied pharmacology; the medical and legal aspects of midwifery; gynecology and women’s health; family planning; nutrition during pregnancy and lactation; breastfeeding; and basic nursing skills; and any other instruction determined by the department and council to be necessary. The standards shall incorporate the core competencies established by the American College of Nurse Midwives and the Midwives Alliance of North America, including knowledge, skills, and professional behavior in the following areas: primary management, collaborative management, referral, and medical consultation; antepartal, intrapartal, postpartal, and neonatal care; family planning and gynecological care; common complications; and professional responsibilities. The standards shall include noncurriculum matters under this section, including, but not limited to, staffing and teacher qualifications.

(2) An approved midwifery program shall include a course of study and clinical training for a minimum of 3 years. If the applicant is a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse or has previous nursing or midwifery education, the required period of training may be reduced to the extent of the applicant’s qualifications, as determined under rules adopted by the department. In no case shall the training be reduced to a period of less than 2 years.

(3) To be accepted into an approved midwifery program, an applicant shall have:

(a) A high school diploma or its equivalent.

(b) Taken three college-level credits each of math and English or demonstrated competencies in communication and computation.

(4) A student midwife, during training, shall undertake, under the supervision of a preceptor, the care of 50 women in each of the prenatal, intrapartal, and postpartal periods, but the same women need not be seen through all three periods.

(5) The student midwife shall observe an additional 25 women in the intrapartal period before qualifying for a license.

(6) The training required under this section shall include training in either hospitals or alternative birth settings, or both, with particular emphasis on learning the ability to differentiate between low-risk pregnancies and high-risk pregnancies. A hospital or birthing center receiving public funds shall be required to provide student midwives access to observe labor, delivery, and postpartal procedures, provided the woman in labor has given informed consent. The Department of Health shall assist in facilitating access to hospital training for approved midwifery programs.

(7) The Department of Education shall adopt curricular frameworks for midwifery programs conducted within public educational institutions pursuant to this section.

(8) Nonpublic educational institutions that conduct approved midwifery programs shall be accredited by a member of the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation and shall be licensed by the Commission for Independent Education.

History.—ss. 1, 3, ch. 82-99; s. 8, ch. 84-268; ss. 4, 5, ch. 91-429; ss. 5, 19, ch. 92-179; s. 24, ch. 94-310; s. 36, ch. 98-421; s. 226, ch. 99-8; s. 16, ch. 2004-41; s. 1, ch. 2011-177.