Nurse-midwifery education--the second 50 years

This address, marking the 50th anniversary of nurse-midwifery education in the United States and presented at the 1982 annual meeting of the ACNM, focuses on the author's position for continued inclusion of nursing as an integral part of midwifery education. The role of nurses and nursing in promulgating the rebirth of American midwifery is discussed as are the advantages to both families and professionals in retaining a nursing heritage. A strong plea is made for recognizing the extraordinary accomplishments of the ACNM in ensuring competence and quality within the profession and the crucial role that alliances with less well-prepared or standardized providers might play in diluting the effects and hard-won gains of the profession of nurse-midwifery. The author closes with a reminder of any profession's responsibility to society and its need for humility in carrying forward its affairs.