                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

REGULATION OF THE PRACTICE OF MIDWIFERY (§ 54.1-2957.9)

The Board shall adopt regulations governing the practice of midwifery, upon
consultation with the Advisory Board on Midwifery. The regulations shall (i)
address the requirements for licensure to practice midwifery, including the
establishment of standards of care, (ii) be consistent with the North American
Registry of Midwives&#8217; current job description for the profession and the
National Association of Certified Professional Midwives&#8217; standards of
practice, except that prescriptive authority shall be prohibited, (iii) ensure
independent practice, (iv) require midwives to disclose to their patients, when
appropriate, options for consultation and referral to a physician and
evidence-based information on health risks associated with birth of a child
outside of a hospital or birthing center, as defined in § 54.1-2957.03,
including risks associated with vaginal births after a prior cesarean section,
breech births, births by women experiencing high-risk pregnancies, and births
involving multiple gestation, (v) provide for an appropriate license fee, and
(vi) include requirements for licensure renewal and continuing education. Such
regulations shall not (a) require any agreement, written or otherwise, with
another health care professional or (b) require the assessment of a woman who is
seeking midwifery services by another health care professional. A licensed
midwife may obtain, possess, and administer drugs and devices that are used
within the licensed midwife&#8217;s scope of practice as determined by the North
American Registry of Midwives Job Analysis. The Board of Medicine shall develop
and publish best practice and standards of care guidance for all such drugs. The
formulary shall not include any drug, as defined in § 54.1-3401, in Schedule I
through V of the Drug Control Act. A licensed midwife may obtain medications and
devices to treat conditions within the licensed midwife&#8217;s scope of
practice from entities including a pharmacy, as defined in § 54.1-3300, or a
manufacturer, medical equipment supplier, outsourcing facility, warehouser, or
wholesale distributor, as these terms are defined in § 54.1-3401. An entity
that provides a medication to a licensed midwife in accordance with this
section, and who relies in good faith upon the license information provided by
the licensed midwife, is not subject to liability for providing the medication.
		Completing all Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health patient safety
bundles advanced by the Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative shall be
required of any licensed midwife who obtains, possesses, and administers drugs
and devices within the scope of his practice.
		License renewal shall be contingent upon maintaining a Certified Professional
Midwife certification.

HISTORY: 2005, cc. 719, 917; 2009, c. 646; 2016, c. 495; 2023, cc. 673, 674.