Let Birth Be Your Teacher

Deep Dive into our Curriculum

In order to become a certified community midwife, direct-entry midwifery students must satisfy a variety of requirements set forth by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM). These requirements include demonstrating mastery of essential knowledge and skills, as well as completing a specific number and type of clinical experiences (for more information, please refer to NARM’s Candidate Information Booklet). One of the most unique aspects of our Immersion Program is that, through our combination of classroom learning and hands-on clinical practice, our student midwives graduate having satisfied nearly all of NARM’s requirements

Upon completion of the program, students are well-prepared to sit for the national midwifery licensing exam to become Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs). Our classes meet one to two times per week, covering all required NARM competencies and preparing students for NARM’s Portfolio Evaluation Process (PEP). Clinical shifts take place two to four times per week, providing nearly all of NARM’s required hands-on experiences. While we cannot guarantee a specific number of clinical opportunities, past cohorts have averaged approximately:

100 prenatal visits

40 postpartum visits

60 newborn exams

50 births

For an example of our teaching approach, see our Foundations Overview. Please note that during Foundations, students engage in five days of classroom learning and one day of clinic-based practice each week. After Foundations, classroom time decreases while in-clinic learning increases.

Receive hands-on midwifery training in birth center, home, and hospital settings

Perhaps the most unique aspect of our Immersion Program is the wide range of clinical experiences our students receive. From our midwife-run birth center in El Paso to home visits in Ciudad Juárez, students gain hands-on experience in prenatal care, postpartum care, and births across diverse settings. These varied experiences help students build the skills they need to practice as autonomous midwives.

Since 1987, our licensed birth center has welcomed families while training the next generation of midwives. Each month, we conduct 20 to 40 prenatal and postpartum visits and attend 7 to 15 births, offering options such as upright birth, water birth, and vaginal birth after cesarean section. Over the years, we’ve celebrated more than 15,000 births and trained hundreds of midwifery students from around the world.
At our two sister clinics in Juárez, we facilitate humanized childbirth with a team of midwives, women’s health doctors, and pediatricians. Our sister clinics average 30 births per month, including many higher-risk pregnancies, giving students valuable experience in managing diverse birth scenarios.
Our Perinatal Home Visit Program provides prenatal and postpartum care through home visits for families living in Ciudad Juárez. Students gain hands-on experience in community-based midwifery, learning to support families in their own homes and adapt care to diverse social and cultural contexts.
Our home birth midwifery practice works with families on both sides of the border, specializing in ceremonial care and physiological childbirth. Students gain hands-on experience supporting births at home.

Clinical Locations

Tuition & Scholarships

The total cost of our 18-month Immersion Program is $16,300 USD, making it one of the most economical midwifery training programs in the country. Program fees vary by phase, with two distinct phases: the Midwifery Foundations phase and the Clinical Integration phase.

Fee Type Cost per Unit Units Total Cost

Midwifery Foundations 2,500 per month 2 months =$ 5,000

Monthly Integration Tuition 500 per month 13 months =$6,500

Clinical Training Fee 300 per month 16 months =$4,800

Total Cost of the Program $16,300

Midwifery Foundations: The first two months include five days of intensive classroom instruction each week, along with one day of in-clinic learning. Because of the concentrated structure, tuition is higher during this phase.

Clinical Integration: After the foundational period, classroom sessions reduce to two days per week, while clinical training increases to two to four days per week. To reflect the decreased amount of classroom time and the expanded clinical training, tuition is lower in this phase, but students pay a separate clinical training fee.

Scholarships are available for native Spanish speakers who work in midwifery care deserts or in settings with high maternal morbidity and mortality rates.