Helpful links regarding Michigan licensure and rules and regulations regarding midwives in Michigan

 

Midwifery Rules:

https://dtmb.state.mi.us/ORRDocs/AdminCode/1812_2018-031LR_AdminCode.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2NsNsLV4QB03x5flpqBfUSibQk5eJTauDiQaX3rIePSs3g-KUDEXspZI8

 

Information from LARA about licensure applications: https://www.michigan.gov/lara/0,4601,7-154-89334_72600_72603_27529_79809—,00.html

 

LARA’s Licensing Guide for midwives with a checklist of everything that you need to apply for licensure.  Currently there is one error in this guide which is that a temporary license costs $850 instead of $650 (however a temporary license is for two years instead of just one):  https://www.michigan.gov/documents/lara/Midwife_Licensing_Guide_654132_7.pdf

 

Licensure FAQ, including a link to the Administrative Rules for midwives:  https://www.michigan.gov/lara/0,4601,7-154-89334_72600_72783—,00.html

 

Link to the section of the public health code that governs licensed midwives:  http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(hdlnl3bnvwhw3cx0bupi0xcs))/mileg.aspx?page=getobject&objectname=mcl-368-1978-15-171.&query=on&highlight=midwifery

 

Recommended transfer forms from the Home Birth Summit:  https://www.homebirthsummit.org/best-practice-transfer-guidelines/transfer-guidelines-model-forms/

 

Licensed health care providers in Michigan are mandated reporters for child abuse: https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/0,5885,7-339-73971_7119_50648_44443-157836–,00.html

 

Midwives in Michigan must have practice guidelines and informed consent documents.  See rule 338.17132 for guidance.  For sample practice guidelines see https://narm.org/faq/cpm-practice-guidelines/

 

Part 171 of the Public Health Code of the State of Michigan requires:

Participation in MANA stats – more information in the Administrative rule regarding the timing of required reporting:  https://www.manastats.org/help_public_enrolling

A course in Pharmacology of at least 8 hours, accredited by MEAC, before administering medications per the Administrative Rules.

A course in Human Trafficking before the first license renewal– many of the inexpensive courses offered by the State of Michigan are aimed at nurses. A google search for “ Michigan CEUs Human Trafficking” produces a reasonable list of available courses that satisfy the requirement.

A course in pain management before the first renewal. Again, googling “Michigan CEUs pain management” produces a reasonable list of available courses that satisfy the requirement.

 

Newborn Hearing Screening: Section 333.5432 of Public Health Code Act 368 of 1978

Hearing is one of the 56 conditions that all babies in Michigan must be screened for at birth.http://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132-2947-233939–,00.html.  The specific code for newborn hearing screening is: section 333.5432 of Public Health Code Act 368 of 1978:http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(lqq4fxpaffcmg015uhtnpsjq))/mileg.aspx?page=getobject&objectname=mcl-333-5432&query=on&highlight=hearing%20AND%20loss :

“If a health professional in charge of the care of a newborn infant or, if none, the health professional in charge at the birth of an infant, the hospital, the health department, or other facility administers or causes to be administered to the infant a hearing test and screening,”    Michigan law generally presumes, health professional is a licensed health care worker.

Here are the laws as they pertain to the hearing screening:

• Public Act 31 section 5430, (1) also established a Newborn Screening Quality Assurance Advisory Committee
• Public Act 31 5430 (2)  mandated annual meetings to review list of newborn screening tests, and add or delete to the list as deemed appropriate as recognized by scientific literature or national standards.
• In 2007, Early Hearing Detection was officially added to the NBS panel by this committee.
• Access to the NBHS 2007 report:  http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdch/NBS2007_Annual_Report_252148_7.pdf  (Newborn Hearing Screening  it is listed in the Executive Summary, under Developments occurring in 2007 (on page 5).)  It is with this report that NBH became mandatory in MI.

The reason it is required is that it is nearly impossible to detect hearing loss in an infant without specialized equipment.  Hearing loss is not an all or nothing, which is what most people think of when they think of hearing loss. Each year we identify between 160- 180 babies in the state with a hearing loss, and this is with 40 – 47% % loss to follow up. If we were catching every single baby with a hearing loss in the state, we would identify over 300 babies just in Michigan, every year.  Early intervention is key to getting babies services and adequate language support before they fall behind. Any amount of hearing loss can affect development and hearing loss is considered a developmental emergency.  Babies and young children with a single sided loss or a mild hearing loss can be negatively affected.  They  have significantly diminished ability to locate sound with only one ear, and that ear must work much harder to do the work of two ears. A mild hearing loss in a baby is not the same as in an adult who has had decades of exposure to language and can often figure out and compensate for their loss.  A baby cannot, it has no experience and has no idea that it’s missed anything.  They are at a great disadvantage as they will not benefit from incidental learning (overhearing adult conversations) that other babies are exposed to.  Hearing loss impacts a child for their entire life.

Parents don’t realize that hearing loss is common in babies, one in every 330 babies has a hearing loss, and 94% of babies with hearing loss have two hearing parents, with no family history of childhood hearing loss.  Babies with hearing loss look just like other babies and will coo and babble and do detect many sounds with their residual hearing or notice things with their eyesight such as shadows, activities around them, and their sensitive skin can detect changes in air pressure, leading parents to think their babies are “hearing” normally.  Before newborn hearing screening, most severe/profound hearing loss was not diagnosed until 2 ½ or 3 years of age or even older! They might be misdiagnosed as having autism, or being developmentally delayed. Without routine hearing screenings, some children with mild and unilateral losses may not have ever been diagnosed, but considered “slow” or “in their own world”, “learning disabled” or “behaviorally or willfully defiant.”