General Requirements for All Candidates

All candidates for CPM certification must meet the following general requirements, regardless of eligibility pathway:

1. Minimum education

   Candidates must hold a high school diploma or recognized equivalent, or a higher level of education. Required clinical experience must occur after completion of this minimum education requirement.

2. Required application materials

   Candidates must submit all forms, documentation, attestations, and fees required for their eligibility pathway. Application materials must be complete, accurate, and submitted in the form required by NARM.

3. Didactic and clinical preparation

   Candidates must complete the education, supervised clinical experience, and skills requirements applicable to their eligibility pathway. Clinical preparation must include experience in prenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, and newborn care and must meet NARM’s applicable duration, setting, role and documentation requirements.

4. CPR and advanced neonatal resuscitation certification

   Candidates must provide documentation of current adult CPR and advanced neonatal resuscitation certifications that meet NARM’s requirements. Certifications must include a hands-on skills component and must be current when the CPM credential is issued.

   Practice documents

   Candidates must verify that they have developed and use the practice documents required by NARM, including:

   • Practice Guidelines;
   • an Emergency Care Plan or Form;
   • an Informed Disclosure document provided to clients at the initiation of care; and
   • Informed Consent documents used to support shared decision-making during care.

5. Completion of a cultural awareness module

   Any acceptable course should address some or all of the following: bias, racism, outcome disparities, communication differences across cultures, economic factors, power differentials in relationships, microaggressions, ethnicity, etc.

6. Examination requirement

   Candidates must successfully complete the NARM Examination unless NARM has formally accepted prior completion of the exam under an applicable eligibility pathway.

7. Compliance with NARM policies

   Candidates must comply with all applicable NARM certification policies, including requirements related to documentation, audits, confidentiality, exam security, professional conduct, and verification of eligibility.

Meeting the general requirements does not, by itself, establish eligibility for certification. Candidates must also meet all requirements specific to their eligibility pathway and complete any outstanding requirements before the CPM credential is awarded.

All applications are subject to review, verification, and audit. See Audits and Verification for additional information.