Maryland Certified Nurse-Midwife license renewal and CE requirements
Maryland nurse-midwives must complete 30 CEUs every two years to renew their license with the Maryland Board of Nursing.
Maryland does not issue a standalone nurse midwife license. The Board of Nursing certifies the nurse midwife as an advanced practice registered nurse on top of a Maryland registered nurse license, and COMAR 10.27.05.08A states that certification as a nurse midwife expires at the same time as the nurse midwife's registered nursing license unless it is renewed. The registered nurse license renews every two years no later than the 28th day of the licensee's birth month: a nurse with an odd numbered birth year always renews in an odd numbered year and a nurse with an even numbered birth year always renews in an even numbered year. The certification is renewed biennially by submitting documentation of a current national certification as a nurse midwife from the American Midwifery Certification Board or another national certifying body recognized by the board, a completed renewal application and the fee. The board's advanced practice renewal page states that proof of national certification must be submitted at each renewal and that a renewal application without it is incomplete and will not be processed.
Summary
Maryland nurse-midwives must complete 30 CEUs every two years to renew their license with the Maryland Board of Nursing. Maryland does not issue a standalone nurse midwife license. The Board of Nursing certifies the nurse midwife as an advanced practice registered nurse on top of a Maryland registered nurse license, and COMAR 10.27.05.08A states that certification as a nurse midwife expires at the same time as the nurse midwife's registered nursing license unless it is renewed. The registered nurse license renews every two years no later than the 28th day of the licensee's birth month: a nurse with an odd numbered birth year always renews in an odd numbered year and a nurse with an even numbered birth year always renews in an even numbered year. The certification is renewed biennially by submitting documentation of a current national certification as a nurse midwife from the American Midwifery Certification Board or another national certifying body recognized by the board, a completed renewal application and the fee. The board's advanced practice renewal page states that proof of national certification must be submitted at each renewal and that a renewal application without it is incomplete and will not be processed. Maryland also mandates specific subjects. Implicit bias and structural racism training program: a one-time requirement (every applicant for renewal of a license or certificate issued by a Maryland health occupations board, at the applicant's first renewal after April 1, 2026, which reaches both the registered nurse license and the nurse midwife certification). Hours do not carry over between cycles.
Maryland Certified Nurse-Midwife renewal and continuing education rules
"Not stated" means the board's pages and rules we read do not address it. We do not fill in typical values.
| Renewal cycle | Two-year (24 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Tied to the licensee's birth month |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 30 CEUs |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | No |
| First renewal exempt | Not stated |
| Other accepted activities | 1,000 hours of active nursing practice within the 5 years immediately preceding the renewal application, accepted in place of continuing education units; Completion of an approved nursing degree program within the 5 years immediately preceding the renewal application, accepted in place of continuing education units |
Maryland sets no separate continuing education hour total for the nurse midwife certification. COMAR 10.27.05, the chapter that governs certified nurse midwives, contains no continuing education requirement at all; the only renewal condition it adds is current national certification. The hour figure therefore comes from the registered nurse license the certification sits on. Under COMAR 10.27.01.13 a nurse demonstrates continuing competency at renewal by one of three routes: 1,000 hours of active nursing practice within the preceding 5 years, completion of an approved nursing degree within the preceding 5 years, or 30 continuing education units within the 2 years immediately preceding the renewal application. The 30 figure is recorded because it is the continuing education route, but a Maryland nurse midwife who meets the practice hour or degree route owes no continuing education units at all. Continuing education units may not be carried forward into the next renewal period. The rule read does not state a contact hour conversion for the unit it calls a CEU, so no contact hour equivalent is recorded. Nurse midwife continuing education in Maryland is therefore neither stacked on nor separate from the registered nurse requirement: there is one requirement, held at the registered nurse level, and the advanced practice layer adds a certification condition rather than hours. American Midwifery Certification Board certification is required to renew the certification and is not an alternative to the state continuing competency requirement, so the AMCB Certificate Maintenance Program totals are deliberately not recorded here. COMAR 10.27.05.11 authorizes a certified nurse midwife to prescribe substances commonly used in nurse midwifery, including Schedule II to V controlled substances, but it attaches no pharmacology, opioid or controlled substance education requirement, and none was found elsewhere in the pages read.
Required CE topics for Maryland certified nurse-midwifes
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Implicit bias and structural racism training programThe applicant attests in the renewal application to having completed an implicit bias and structural racism training program approved by the Cultural and Linguistic Health Care Professional Competency Program. The statute states no hour count, so hours is null. It applies only to an applicant's first license or certificate renewal after April 1, 2026. A board may allow continuing education credit for the training but is not required to. | Not stated | One time | Every applicant for renewal of a license or certificate issued by a Maryland health occupations board, at the applicant's first renewal after April 1, 2026, which reaches both the registered nurse license and the nurse midwife certification | Health Occupations Article 1-225, Annotated Code of Maryland |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 6 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Continuing education units must come from a provider named in COMAR 10.27.01.13, which includes the American Nurses Association, the American Nurses Credentialing Center, Area Health Education Centers, professional nursing associations and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, among others. Continuing education certificates are not submitted with the renewal application, but the nurse retains evidence of completed continuing education units for 6 years after the license is renewed and must produce the documentation within 30 days of an audit request. Proof of current national certification is a separate matter and the board's advanced practice renewal page states that it must be submitted at each renewal, listing AMCB among the accepted certifying bodies. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Maryland CNM need to renew?
- Maryland nurse-midwives must complete 30 CEUs every two years to renew their license with the Maryland Board of Nursing. Maryland sets no separate continuing education hour total for the nurse midwife certification. COMAR 10.27.05, the chapter that governs certified nurse midwives, contains no continuing education requirement at all; the only renewal condition it adds is current national certification. The hour figure therefore comes from the registered nurse license the certification sits on. Under COMAR 10.27.01.13 a nurse demonstrates continuing competency at renewal by one of three routes: 1,000 hours of active nursing practice within the preceding 5 years, completion of an approved nursing degree within the preceding 5 years, or 30 continuing education units within the 2 years immediately preceding the renewal application. The 30 figure is recorded because it is the continuing education route, but a Maryland nurse midwife who meets the practice hour or degree route owes no continuing education units at all. Continuing education units may not be carried forward into the next renewal period. The rule read does not state a contact hour conversion for the unit it calls a CEU, so no contact hour equivalent is recorded. Nurse midwife continuing education in Maryland is therefore neither stacked on nor separate from the registered nurse requirement: there is one requirement, held at the registered nurse level, and the advanced practice layer adds a certification condition rather than hours. American Midwifery Certification Board certification is required to renew the certification and is not an alternative to the state continuing competency requirement, so the AMCB Certificate Maintenance Program totals are deliberately not recorded here. COMAR 10.27.05.11 authorizes a certified nurse midwife to prescribe substances commonly used in nurse midwifery, including Schedule II to V controlled substances, but it attaches no pharmacology, opioid or controlled substance education requirement, and none was found elsewhere in the pages read.
- How often does a Maryland CNM license need to be renewed?
- Certified Nurse-Midwife licenses in Maryland renew every two years. Maryland does not issue a standalone nurse midwife license. The Board of Nursing certifies the nurse midwife as an advanced practice registered nurse on top of a Maryland registered nurse license, and COMAR 10.27.05.08A states that certification as a nurse midwife expires at the same time as the nurse midwife's registered nursing license unless it is renewed. The registered nurse license renews every two years no later than the 28th day of the licensee's birth month: a nurse with an odd numbered birth year always renews in an odd numbered year and a nurse with an even numbered birth year always renews in an even numbered year. The certification is renewed biennially by submitting documentation of a current national certification as a nurse midwife from the American Midwifery Certification Board or another national certifying body recognized by the board, a completed renewal application and the fee. The board's advanced practice renewal page states that proof of national certification must be submitted at each renewal and that a renewal application without it is incomplete and will not be processed.
- What specific CE topics are required for Maryland nurse-midwives?
- Implicit bias and structural racism training program: a one-time requirement (every applicant for renewal of a license or certificate issued by a Maryland health occupations board, at the applicant's first renewal after April 1, 2026, which reaches both the registered nurse license and the nurse midwife certification). Citations: implicit bias and structural racism training program (Health Occupations Article 1-225, Annotated Code of Maryland).
- Do Maryland nurse-midwives have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates, the board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation, and records must be kept for 6 years. Continuing education units must come from a provider named in COMAR 10.27.01.13, which includes the American Nurses Association, the American Nurses Credentialing Center, Area Health Education Centers, professional nursing associations and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, among others. Continuing education certificates are not submitted with the renewal application, but the nurse retains evidence of completed continuing education units for 6 years after the license is renewed and must produce the documentation within 30 days of an audit request. Proof of current national certification is a separate matter and the board's advanced practice renewal page states that it must be submitted at each renewal, listing AMCB among the accepted certifying bodies.
Sources
Last verified September 10, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- COMAR 10.27.05, Certified Nurse Midwife, full chapter, Library of Maryland RegulationsStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
- COMAR 10.27.05.01, Definitions (certified nurse midwife, nurse midwifery, AMCB)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
- COMAR 10.27.05.08, Renewal of Certification (nurse midwife)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
- COMAR 10.27.05.11, Prescribing of Substances by a Certified Nurse MidwifeStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
- COMAR 10.27.01.13, Renewal of License (birth month cycle, continuing competency options, 30 CEUs, retention and audit)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
- Maryland Health Occupations Article 1-225, implicit bias and structural racism training at renewalStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
- Advanced Practice Registered Nursing, Certified Nurse Midwives, Maryland Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- On-Line License Renewal for Advanced Practice RNs, Maryland Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- On-Line License Renewal index, Maryland Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- Maryland Board of Nursing homepageState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
Maryland follows the common pattern: the Board of Nursing licenses the nurse midwife as an advanced practice registered nurse, with no medical board involvement and no separate board of midwifery for this credential. That the rule read governs the nurse midwife rather than another kind of midwife was established from the chapter's own definition: COMAR 10.27.05.01 defines certified nurse midwife as an advanced practice registered nurse who is certified by the board to practice nurse midwifery in this State, and COMAR 10.27.05.02 conditions certification on holding a current Maryland license in good standing to practice registered nursing. Maryland does separately license direct entry midwives, who are not nurses, through a distinct Board of Nursing program with its own application; nothing from that program was used here. AMCB certification is a renewal condition, not a substitute for state hours and not a source of hour totals: COMAR 10.27.05.08B requires documentation of current national certification from AMCB or another board recognized body at every biennial renewal, and 10.27.05.08E states that certification lapses if the board does not have a record of a current active national certification. Continuing education is held entirely at the registered nurse level, so the figure matches the state's registered nurse, nurse practitioner and nurse anesthetist records at 30 continuing education units per two year cycle, and the same three route continuing competency choice applies. One subject mandate reaches the credential, the implicit bias and structural racism training in Health Occupations Article 1-225, which applies to every applicant for renewal of any Maryland health occupations license or certificate at the first renewal after April 1, 2026. No opioid, controlled substance, pharmacology, human trafficking, suicide prevention or jurisprudence mandate was found for Maryland nurse midwives in the pages read, including the chapter's own prescribing rule. The board's nurse midwife certification application is published as a PDF, which the no download rule excludes, so any requirement stated only in that form is not captured here.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Maryland Board of Nursing before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.