The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Nursing has received preaccreditation status from the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education to establish the state’s first nurse-midwifery program, which will launch in fall 2026.
The master’s-level degree program will help aspiring midwives reach the workforce after two and a half years of graduate training. Many of the courses will be taught virtually, though the students will convene in-person each semester for a skill-development session at the main UAMS campus in Little Rock or the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus in Fayetteville.
The students will complete their training by working alongside certified nurse-midwives, as well as advanced practice registered nurses and physicians, at clinical placement sites in the state.
A certified nurse-midwife (CNM) is an advanced practice clinician who assists not only in labor and delivery but also provides primary and reproductive healthcare from adolescence through menopause. In Arkansas, nurse-midwives provide services at UAMS as well as in private practices, specialty clinics, federally qualified health centers, and home birth practices.
The commission’s decision to grant preaccreditation allows the College of Nursing to begin seeking students for the program’s inaugural class. It’s the first of three phases in the accreditation process; the others, initial accreditation and continued accreditation, take place after the program begins graduating students.
To be eligible for the program, applicants must have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree and be a registered nurse (RN) with no disciplinary actions or limitations on their license.
Crouch said the program plans to accept six applicants in each of its first two classes, adding that she hopes to see that number rise in future years as nurse-midwives join the workforce and create more clinical training opportunities for students.
For more information or to apply for the Nurse-Midwifery Program, visit UAMS.info/Nurse-Midwifery.