THE 1999‐2000 TASK ANALYSIS OF AMERICAN NURSE‐MIDWIFERY/MIDWIFERY PRACTICE

Abstract

A master list of tasks, which contained 200 task statements, 23 professional issues statements, and 177 clinical conditions, was divided into three equivalent survey forms and distributed to those certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and certified midwives (CMs) certified by the ACNM Certification Council, Inc. during the 5-year period from 1995 to 1999. Specific efforts were made to encourage the participation of CMs, because they represented a new professional cohort. A total of 627 valid responses were obtained. Reasonably similar numbers of respondents contributed data related to each of the three versions of the survey form. The responsibilities have expanded substantially within the domains of nonreproductive primary health care and gynecologic care of the well woman, including advances in assisted reproductive technology. A diminished emphasis on the CNM/CM role in the provision of newborn care was documented. The ACC Research Committee recommended the revision of the entry-level certification examination blueprint, and this was approved by the ACC Board of Directors. The specific recommendations included the development of a new primary care domain and the reconfiguration of content emphasis with percentage allocations as follows: Primary Care, 5-10%; Well-Woman/Gynecology, 15-20%; Newborn, 5-10%; Postpartum, 5-10%; Antepartum, 25-30%; Intrapartum, 25-35%; Professional Issues, up to 5%.