Faculty leading the field in research and practice.
Small cohorts – 8:1 student instructor ratio – and a large supportive alumni community.
We find your clinical placements.
Scholarship and grant dollars available.
Program focuses on care for rural and underserved populations.
We are part of a large Health Sciences system.
High-tech learning in our Simulation Center.
No scrambling. No waiting. No guessing. We have a dedicated team to support all your clinical placement needs. Yes, that includes finding your clinical sites.
But that also includes all the details that could be overlooked. The clinical affairs team will ensure you are prepared and stay in compliance with all on-boarding requirements of your clinical sites.
Our students benefit greatly from a wide variety of clinical sites. Urban tertiary care and academic institutions, community-based health centers, birth centers, private small-town clinics and the Indian Health Service, just to name a few.
Midwifery is thriving in New Mexico. Midwifery is deeply rooted in our history–from indigenous healers, to traditional parteras, to the founding of the American College of Nurse Midwives. Our midwifery community is tightly connected and now 37% of all spontaneous vaginal births are attended by midwives in New Mexico, according to 2018 CDC data.
Nurse-midwives in New Mexico are well-respected and integrated into our healthcare system. Unlike other parts of the county, New Mexico nurse-midwives are licensed though the Department of Health and have full prescriptive authority. The state legislature supports our program and helped establish reimbursement for out-of-hospital birth from Medicaid.
What better location to study midwifery then right here in New Mexico where it all began? Where midwifery is honored and respected. Come learn with us.
Not from New Mexico? Visit NewMexico.org to learn about our state.
Our program is designed to teach and expose you to caring for the rural and underserved communities of New Mexico. We are unique in this mission.
Our students participate in clinical experiences outside of Albuquerque. They go all over New Mexico, serving those who need them the most. Learning happens through immersion and is guided in part by dedicated preceptors.
Our graduates live to serve this mission beyond our program. Over 80% of our graduates provide care to rural and/or underserved populations.
With our small cohorts you will work closely with our outstanding faculty. We emphasize the ACNM Core Values of inclusiveness, woman centered care and respect for physiologic processes, partnership, and advocacy.
Each of our nurse-midwifery faculty brings a unique skill set and focus. They bring diverse perspectives to the classroom, simulation lab and clinical experiences.
Our faculty hold leadership roles at UNM – Amy Levi PhD, CNM, is the HSC Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. They hold national leadership roles - Felina Ortiz, DNP, CNM, chair of ACNM’s National Midwives of Color Committee. They are leading researchers – Sharon Ruyak PhD, CNM. Her research focuses on the bio-behavioral contributions of chronic stress to adverse pregnancy outcomes in the maternal-infant care.
Most of our faculty are active in clinical practice. They are up to date on clinical standards and the real-world practice environment. Our faculty are committed to your success.
We value our diverse communities, students and faculty, and we strive to promote equity and advocate for inclusiveness.
In our courses we address topics such as racism, privilege, racial inequity, implicit bias, historical trauma and more. We value our partnerships with our community to enhance our understanding and learning.
Learn more about UNM’s Division of Diversity and Equity and Inclusion; the Health Sciences Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the UNM College of Nursing Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee.
Your future is here New Mexico. Your next step is UNM. More than 1/3 of certified nurse-midwives in New Mexico are alums of our program. Learn more about our program and why you should choose UNM.
The program prepared me for my first job as a nurse-midwife in a rural New Mexico community. The faculty are excellent. I felt connected to the tradition of midwifery and at the same time evidence-based care was strongly emphasized. When I engaged in research, I found my faculty’s names in the research journals. This mattered to me.
The goal is simple–become a certified nurse-midwife.
Stay goal oriented. Take a look at the current nurse-midwifery jobs and salaries in New Mexico and beyond.
Admissions & Recruitment Office
College of Nursing
Building 214
Suite 1501
1 University of New Mexico
Interim Nurse-Midwifery Concentration Coordinator, Clinician Educator, Associate Professor
Felina Ortiz, DNP, RN, CNM, FACNM
