Master of Science in Midwifery
The Master of Science in Midwifery is available to students who already hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college/university and who complete the program prerequisites prior to entering the program. An option is available to students who have completed at least two years at the undergraduate level (60 semester or 90 quarter credits), including the basic science and proficiency prerequisites and general education requirements as well.
Blended Learning Model
One of the most exciting aspects of the program is its blended curriculum. This hybrid delivery system allows students to remain in their communities and commute to the Bastyr campus three times each quarter. Each cohort of students (determined by year of entry) attends the same onsite weeks together, which allows for the face-to-face learning experience that is vital to midwifery training and allows students to build strong relationships with classmates and faculty.
When not physically on campus, students use the Internet classroom to correspond with classmates and instructors, engage in discussions, turn in homework and take tests.
Midwifery Curriculum
The midwifery program addresses both the art and science of midwifery by integrating theory with clinical experience. The Midwifery Care courses are the foundation of the program. All courses build skills necessary for the practice of midwifery through the use of case questions, skills-practice labs, role-playing, discussion, student presentations and research projects. Clinical skills and judgment are honed during practicum with practicing midwives. The midwifery curriculum is enhanced by studies in related fields such as epidemiology, nutrition, pharmacology, genetics, embryology, counseling and education. Professional Issues are woven throughout the curriculum including courses addressing midwifery history, racism and culture, law and ethics, advocacy and health policy, and tools for starting a practice. Students must complete an independent master’s project under the guidance of a faculty committee.
Clinical Experience
The Department of Midwifery places all students in qualified clinical training sites. The program replicates the age-old apprenticeship model in which students work side-by-side, with experienced preceptors who are licensed midwives and other professionals in the community, to gain skills and integrate the knowledge learned in the classroom. At least two years of clinical training is required, with a minimum of two clinical sites in North America. Optimal training sites include homebirth settings, birth centers, clinics and hospitals.
Department staff works closely with each student to arrange these clinical placements. Students must live within a one-hour commute of a qualified preceptor site. They may be required to relocate temporarily in order to meet graduation requirements if the community in which they reside does not have adequate clinical training opportunities. Personal flexibility and the support of family members are essential to manage possible separation and economic challenges.
In quarter two, prior to being placed in an approved clinical site, students are required to complete a non-credit-bearing course titled Introduction to Practicum, which includes an introduction to clinical tracking and the requirements necessary for the midwifery program’s clinical placements, as well as an orientation designed to prepare students to work effectively in a midwifery clinical preceptorship.
The clinical practicum begins in the third quarter of the program. Students typically begin Practicum slowly, primarily observing for the first few months. Basic clinical skills, such as performing blood draws, IVs, physical and pelvic exams, pap smears, neonatal resuscitation, etc., are taught first in the classroom. Additionally, students will be required to obtain training in adult CPR, have an annual TB test, demonstrated immunity or be vaccinated for hepatitis B, chicken pox/varicella, MMR, pertussis, and annual influenza, as well as pass a criminal background check conducted by the University for which a fee is charged. Students returning from a leave of absence will be required to have their clinical skills assessed and may need remedial skills training before becoming eligible for a practicum assignment.
Students may obtain their clinical experience in gynecology/family planning clinics, prenatal/postpartum clinics, homebirth settings, birth centers and hospitals in North America. (See Graduation Requirements below for specifics about clinical training requirements.) Students may work with licensed midwives, certified professional midwives, certified nurse-midwives, nurse practitioners, naturopathic doctors, physician assistants or physicians. Preceptors must be practicing legally for at least three years and serve a large enough obstetrical/gynecological population to adequately instruct, supervise and evaluate students’ clinical training. The Department of Midwifery screens and approves all potential clinical preceptors before students are placed in clinical training sites.
Admissions
For general information on the admissions process, please refer to the Admissions section in this catalog. The information below refers only to the Department of Midwifery’s Master of Science in Midwifery degree.
Prerequisites
Applicants without a bachelor’s must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 to be considered for admission. A grade of C or better is also required in all basic proficiency courses. Students may apply to the program while completing prerequisite coursework, but all prerequisites must be completed prior to enrollment in the program.
For Applicants With a Bachelor’s Degree in Any Field1
| General Psychology |
3 quarter credits |
| Introductory Nutrition |
3 quarter credits |
| General Chemistry (allied-health-major level with lab) |
4 quarter credits |
| Microbiology |
4 quarter credits |
| Anatomy and Physiology series |
8 quarter credits |
| College Algebra or Precalculus or Statistics |
4 quarter credits |
| Labor Support Course/Doula Training (DONA or ALACE approved) |
not a college course |
| Childbirth Educator Training (ICEA or Lamaze approved) |
not a college course |
1From a regionally accredited college/university
For Applicants Without a Bachelor’s Degree
| Basic Science and Proficiency Prerequisites |
| English Literature or Composition |
9 quarter credits |
| General Psychology |
3 quarter credits |
| Public Speaking |
3 quarter credits |
| Introductory Nutrition |
3 quarter credits |
| General Chemistry (allied-health-major level with lab) |
4 quarter credits |
| Microbiology |
4 quarter credits |
| Anatomy & Physiology Series |
8 quarter credits |
| College Algebra or Precalculus or Statistics |
4 quarter credits |
| Labor Support Course/Doula Training (DONA or ALACE approved) |
not a college course |
| Childbirth Educator Training (ICEA or Lamaze approved) |
not a college course |
| General Education Requirements |
| Social Sciences |
15 quarter credits |
| Arts and Humanities |
15 quarter credits |
| Natural Sciences |
4 quarter credits |
| Electives |
18 quarter credits1 |
1The number of elective credits may vary depending on the exact number of quarter credits earned in the other prerequisite categories. Total prerequisite credits must equal at least 90 quarter credits.
Applicants without a bachelor’s degree, please visit the Bastyr University undergraduate admissions page for information about transfer credits at www.bastyr.edu/admissions/transfer-students/undergraduate-transfer-info.
Graduation Requirements
Graduates must demonstrate proficiency in the midwifery program Core Competencies as shown by:
- Satisfactory completion of all didactic and clinical courses with a grade of 80 percent (B- or 2.7 GPA) or better. (Some non-core courses may be passed with a grade of 75 percent or better.)
- Satisfactory completion and presentation of a master’s project, which will be electronically deposited in a publicly available (open access) repository (see Policy/Procedure #11-C55).
- Satisfactory completion of all sections of the comprehensive written and clinical exams in the last year of the program.
- Completion of 40 hours of community service for the University or the profession of midwifery.
- Demonstration of the qualities of a professional midwife as determined by the Student Progress Committee.
Graduates must also meet the following minimum clinical requirements:
- Participation in 60 births1, including at least the following:
- 30 births in which the student functions in the role of primary midwife under supervision
- 20 births in which the student is actively involved in the client’s care
- 10 births in which the student is observing
- 30 births in an out-of-hospital setting
- 25 births in the U.S. or the student’s country of origin
1An additional 40 births (total of 100 births) are required for Washington state licensure.
Participation in a minimum of 1,500 hours of clinical work, including at least the following:
- 400 hours of intrapartum experience
- 800 hours of clinic time in prenatal, postpartum and gynecological care
- Participation in 720 client contacts, including at least:
- 300 prenatal exams
- 100 postpartum visits
- 50 newborn exams
- 50 follow-up newborn exams
- 50 gynecological exams
Completion of at least 15 Continuity of Care contacts as the primary midwife under supervision as follows:
- 5 Full Continuity of Care contacts that include:
- At least 5 prenatal visits (spanning two trimesters)
- The birth
- The newborn exam
- At least 2 postpartum visits
- 10 other Continuity of Care contacts that include:
- At least two prenatal visits
- The birth
- The newborn exam
- At least 1 postpartum visit
Note: Continuity of Care requirements are different for registration as a midwife in Canada. Students planning to apply for Canadian registration should know the requirements and be documenting these births appropriately.
Clinical training for at least two years at a minimum of two clinical sites in the U.S. or the student’s home country is required. All clinical training is supervised by preceptors who are approved by the Department of Midwifery, and include the following:
- At least two preceptorships in which the clinical faculty member is a midwife
- One site for at least six months and 15 births (involved and supervised primary) in a home or birth center setting
- One site for at least three months and 10 births (observed and involved)
- Satisfactory completion of all levels of clinical evaluation with a minimum of two Advanced Clinical Skills Evaluations with the majority of skills assessed as mastered
The curriculum tables that follow list the tentative schedule of courses each quarter
MSMW YEAR I
MSMW Year I- Orientation begins online approximately six weeks before the onset of the quarter, with the intention of building group cohesion and introducing students to the program and University.
Fall
| Orientation | 0 |
| MW3101 | Midwifery Care 1: Intro to Midwifery | 3 |
| MW3104 | Introduction to Epidemiology for Midwives | 3 |
| MW3301 | Well Woman Health Assessment | 4 |
| MW3311 | Perinatal Nutrition 1: Pre-Conception and Prenatal | 2 |
| MW4108 | Professional Issues Seminar: Power and Privilege in Midwifery | 1.5 |
| MW4305 | Gynecology | 3.5 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 17 |
Winter
| MW4100 | Genetics and Embryology | 2 |
| MW4302 | Midwifery Care 2: Pregnancy and Prenatal Care | 4 |
| MW4310 | Pharmacology and Treatments 1 | 1.5 |
| MW4313 | Counseling for the Childbearing Year 1 | 1 |
| MW4315 | Introduction of CAM Use in Midwifery | 2 |
| MW4320 | Clinical Skills 1 | 1.5 |
| MW5101 | Master’s Project 1 | 0.5 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 12.5 |
Spring
| MW4107 | Professional Issues Seminar: Social Difference and Implications in Midwifery Practice | 2 |
| MW4303 | Midwifery Care 3: Advanced Pregnancy and Prenatal Care | 4 |
| MW4314 | Counseling for the Childbearing Year 2 | 1 |
| MW4322 | Clinical Skills 2 | 1 |
| MW4331 | Clinical Seminar 1 | 1 |
| MW4810 | Midwifery Practicum | variable to maximum of 8.5 |
| MW5106 | Survey of Research Methods | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 13.5 |
Summer
| MW4810 | Midwifery Practicum | variable to maximum of 8.5 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 6 |
MSMW YEAR II
Fall
| MW4102 | Professional Issues Seminar: Midwifery History, Politics and Activism | 2 |
| MW4323 | Clinical Skills 3 | 0.5 |
| MW4332 | Clinical Seminar 2 | 1 |
| MW5110 | Master’s Project 2 | 1.5 |
| MW5304 | Midwifery Care 4: Labor and Birth | 6 |
| MW5315 | Counseling for the Childbearing Year 3 | 1.5 |
| MW5810 | Midwifery Practicum | variable to maximum of 7.5 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 17 |
Winter
| MW4307 | Breastfeeding and Lactation Education | 2 |
| MW4333 | Clinical Seminar 3 | 1 |
| MW5111 | Master’s Project 3 | 2 |
| MW5114 | Professional Issues Seminar: Health Care Systems and Health Policy | 2 |
| MW5308 | Midwifery Care 5: Postpartum and Newborn Care | 5 |
| MW5316 | Counseling for the Childbearing Year 4: Postpartum | 1.5 |
| MW5324 | Clinical Skills 4 | 0.5 |
| MW5810 | Midwifery Practicum | variable to maximum of 7.5 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 17 |
Spring
| MW4105 | Professional Issues Seminar: Midwifery Legal, Ethical and Professional Framework | 2 |
| MW5112 | Master’s Project 4 | 2 |
| MW5309 | Midwifery Care 6: Challenges in Practice | 4 |
| MW5326 | Clinical Skills 5 | 1 |
| MW5334 | Clinical Seminar 4 | 1 |
| MW6810 | Midwifery Practicum | variable to maximum of 33.5 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 14 |
Summer
| MW6110 | Master’s Project 5 | 2 |
| MW6810 | Midwifery Practicum | variable to maximum of 33.5 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 6 |
MW6810: 4 credits
MSMW YEAR III
Fall
| MW6111 | Master’s Project 6 | 2 |
| MW6307 | Midwifery Care 7: Synthesis and Application | 2 |
| MW6335 | Clinical Seminar 5 | 1 |
| MW6810 | Midwifery Practicum | variable to maximum of 33.5 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 12 |
Winter
| MW6112 | Master’s Project 7 | 1 |
| MW6336 | Clinical Seminar 6 | 1 |
| MW6810 | Midwifery Practicum | variable to maximum of 33.5 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 12 |
Spring
| MW6115 | Professional Issues Seminar: The Business of Midwifery | 2.5 |
| MW6337 | Clinical Seminar 7 | 1 |
| MW6810 | Midwifery Practicum | variable to maximum of 33.5 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 12 |
Total Requirements
| Total Core Course Credits & Hours |
89.5 |
| Total Practicum Hours |
49.5 |
| Total Requirements |
139 |