Through an integrated model of clinical and skills training, Maternidad La Luz offers a unique and holistic learning experience for aspiring midwives. The program incorporates clinical training and skills training in one location, allowing students to solidify clinical skills while integrating experiences at the same time. Students enrolled with Maternidad La Luz begin learning midwifery theory and midwifery skills as they move through each of the NARM phases. Maternidad La Luz provides all necessary clinical and skills experience on-site for the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) Certified Professional Midwife credential (CPM), with the exception of 5 home births and 2 planned hospital births. The birth center is in a two-story house that includes three birthing rooms, a kitchen, a waiting room, two consultation rooms, and all equipment and supplies necessary to provide midwifery and well-woman care. Students have a community space on the second floor of the house where classes are held and students can hang out, study, or rest.
Goals for Our Midwifery Programs
The goals of the Midwifery Program are to provide students with the foundation of knowledge and clinical experience to become midwives, which include: • To promote and support the continuation of direct-entry midwifery as an essential and viable option for women wanting to birth outside the hospital system and for women wanting to become midwives • To provide a strong foundation based on the Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) Core Competencies as stated in the learning objectives of the course curriculum • To provide clinical experience necessary to meet the requirements for licensure by the State of Texas and certification by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) • To provide complete midwifery care based on a midwifery model using the protocols and regulations of the Texas Birth Center Laws, the Texas Midwifery Standards, and MLL protocols • To provide an atmosphere where students can learn, gain confidence in their skills and grow professionally and personally as midwives • To promote the bond of comraderie, trust, and support of midwives for midwives • To encourage student awareness of the politics of the profession of midwifery on a local, national, and international level • To foster an understanding of the importance of self-regulation and self evaluation in the form of peer review