An historic joint meeting of seven organizations directly responsible for education, regulation and professional associations for the three U.S. midwifery credentials - CPM, CNM and CM - was held April 19-21 at the Airlie Conference Center in Warrenton, Virginia. The Meeting objectives were to: 1) strengthen the foundation for organizations responsible for midwifery education, regulation and professional associations to work collaboratively to advance the midwifery profession in the U.S., and 2) grow together as leaders creating the future of midwifery in the U.S.

Member organizations included, American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME), American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB), Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA), Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC), North American Registry of Midwives (NARM), and National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM).

By consensus of those in attendance at US MERA (US Midwifery Education, Regulation and Association), participants recommended the establishment of the US MERA Work Group as an ongoing entity with the following purpose:

"The purpose of US MERA is to create a shared vision for U.S. midwifery within a global context, generate an action plan for collaboration to strengthen and promote the profession of midwifery in the United States, thereby engendering a positive impact on U.S. maternity care that will improve the health of women and infants."    

Each of the identified meeting goals were met:

• Describe a history that reflects the ongoing efforts to move professional midwifery forward in the U.S., including identification of challenges and accomplishments
• Engage in a dialogue that creates a deeper understanding of current strengths and challenges for U.S. midwifery
• Develop knowledge and trust to support successful ongoing communication
• Identify opportunities for future collaboration
• Conduct a collaborative analysis of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) three pillars-Education, Regulation, and Association (ERA)-as they apply to U.S. midwifery

Within the next several weeks, the US MERA Work Group will issue a joint statement on its work together.

Suzy Myers,President