Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 9, September, 2024
INTRODUCTORY PROVISIONS
A. These regulations are adopted and approved
by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing under the authority of the State of
Arkansas.
B. These regulations
govern the educational and experience requirements and practice standards for
nurses practicing in the expanded role of nurse midwife as defined in Arkansas
Code Annotated, Section 17-86-502.
C. Pronouns indicating gender refer to
persons of both sexes.
SECTION I
DEFINITION OF TERMS
For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions
apply:
A.
BOARD- the
Arkansas State Board of Nursing.
B.
NURSE MIDWIFE (NMJ)- a person possessing the qualifications for a
registered nurse in the State of Arkansas who is certified as a nurse midwife
by the American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM) or the equivalent as defined
by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing.
C.
CERTIFIED NURSE MIDWIFE (CNM)
- a person educated in the two disciplines of nursing and midwifery, who
possesses evidence of certification according to the requirements of the
American College of Nurse Midwives, and holds current licenses as a registered
nurse and as a certified nurse midwife in the State of Arkansas.
D.
NURSE MIDWIFERY- the
management and monitoring of care of essentially normal women and newborns:
antepartally, intrapartally, postpartally. This occurs within a health care
system which provides for medical consultation, management, and referral and is
in accord with ACNM Standards for the Practice of Nurse Midwifery.
E.
HEALTH CARE SYSTEM- any
place where a nurse midwife is practicing.
F.
GUIDELINES- written
documentation outlining the protocol to be followed by a nurse midwife for
handling a particular medical situation or resolving a medical
problem.
G.
CONSULTATION- the process of collaboration.
SECTION II
SCOPE OF PRACTICE
A.
NURSE MIDWIFERY
The practice of nurse midwifery means the performance for
compensation of nursing skills relevant to the management and monitoring of the
woman and her newborn infant throughout the course of a normal maternity cycle,
including pregnancy, labor, spontaneous birth and six-week postpartum period,
in consultation with a physician licensed under the Arkansas Medical Practices
Act who has obstetrical privileges in a hospital.
B.
SERVICES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The extent of services, responsibilities and required supervision
of nurse midwives, and the accompanying responsibilities of consulting
physicians, must be defined by each agency or clinic in a policy statement, job
description, or other appropriate document.
C.
DELEGATED DUTIES
The consulting physician may delegate to the nurse midwife those
procedures in which she has demonstrated competence.
SECTION III
GUIDELINES
A. The certified nurse
midwife shall practice in accordance with written guidelines developed with a
consulting physician. These guidelines shall be in compliance with the statutes
of the State of Arkansas and approved by the Board.
B. The written guidelines shall be developed
in consultation with a physician licensed under the Medical Practices Act who
has obstetrical privileges in a hospital. These guidelines shall include:
1. Established procedures for the management
of common medical problems associated with antepartal, intrapartal, and
postpartal care.
2. The scope of
practice as defined in these regulations.
3. The degree to which supervision and
collaboration are required, including when medical determination to administer
a particular treatment is indicated.
4. Joint review at least annually and
revision as necessary.
C. An agreement shall be on file in the Board
office prior to practice.
SECTION
IV
LICENSURE
A.
REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSURE
Documents required to support an application for licensure to
practice as a nurse midwife shall include the following:
1. Proof of current licensure as a registered
nurse in Arkansas.
2. Proof of
current certification by the American College of Nurse Midwives or the
equivalent as approved by the Board.
B.
USE OF NOMENCLATURE
Any person who holds a license to practice as a nurse midwife in
this state shall have the right to use the title "Certified Nurse Midwife," and
the abbreviation "CNM."
No other person shall practice, advertise as, assume the title
of, or use the abbreviation "CNM," or any words, letters, signs, or figures to
indicate that the person is a certified nurse midwife.
C.
RENEWAL
The Board uses a system of staggered biennial renewal of licenses
(odd-even years by birthdate).
1. A
nurse midwife who does not receive a renewal notice from the Board by the first
of the month of the expiration of her license should contact the Board office.
It is the responsibility of the licensee to keep the Board informed of any
change of name and address.
2. Any
nurse midwife who allows her license to lapse may be reinstated by making
application for renewal and paying the renewal fee plus a penalty.
D.
TEMPORARY PERMIT
1. The qualifications for a temporary permit
to practice as a nurse midwife are:
a.
Current licensure as a registered nurse in Arkansas.
b. Proof of application for or awaiting the
results of the initial ACNM examination for certification.
c. Determined by the Board to be otherwise
qualified.
2. The fee
for the temporary permit shall be in keeping with other temporary permit fees
required by the Board.
3. The
permit to practice as a nurse midwife shall become invalid upon notification to
the applicant of the results of the initial certifying examination.
E.
REVOCATION, SUSPENSION OR
REFUSAL TO LICENSE1. The Board may
revoke, suspend, refuse to license or renew the license of any nurse midwife if
the Board finds evidence that the person fails to meet the requirements stated
in these regulations.
2. The Board
may refuse to issue a license, certificate or registration to any applicant if
the license, certificate or registration of such person has been revoked or
suspended or placed on probation and not reinstated by the jurisdiction which
took such action.
F.
FEES
The Board shall charge initial and renewal licensing fees that
are in keeping with fees charged certified registered nurse anesthetists and
registered nurse practitioners.
SECTION V
BOARD REVIEW
PROCEDURES
A. The Board may review the
guidelines governing the practice of any nurse midwife upon request.
B. In the event a nurse midwife is brought
before the Board for a hearing, a member of the State ACNM Chapter shall be
notified.
SECTION VI
PRECEPTORSHIP
These regulations do not prohibit a student in an ACNM approved
nurse midwifery program from serving a preceptorship provided:
A. The student holds a current license as a
registered nurse.
B. The student is
in the presence and under the direct supervision of a currently licensed
certified nurse midwife preceptor or a licensed physician with obstetrical
privileges in a hospital.
C. The
midwifery care is confined to the educational requirements of the
course.
