Physician duties · CNM · New Jersey
Signing for a Certified Nurse-Midwife in New Jersey: what the physician takes on
No agreement is required, so the terms are whatever you both negotiate. Certified Nurse-Midwives practice independently in New Jersey, so any agreement is voluntary.
Unlike NP/PMHNP/CNS, CNMs/CMs are licensed and regulated directly by the Board of Medical Examiners under the Nurse Midwifery Practice Act (N.J.S.A. 45:10-1 et seq.), not through the APN joint-protocol framework, and are described by the NJ midwifery association as 'independent providers.' No statutory joint-protocol/collaborating-physician mandate for CNMs was found in this research pass — flag for confirmation, since some other states impose one under an equivalent midwifery act.
What you take on as the physician
The rules the physician relationship has to follow. Each fact comes from the statute or board rule listed under sources.
Proximity
Not codified — left to the agreement
Supervision ratio
Not codified — no cap on file
Chart review
Not codified — left to the agreement
Meeting cadence
Not codified — left to the agreement
Prescriptive authority
Covered by the practice agreement · controlled substances permitted
CNMs have full prescriptive authority to prescribe medications and order tests (N.J.S.A. 45:10-1 et seq.); certified midwives (CMs, a related but distinct NJ credential) do not currently have prescriptive authority — this entry covers CNMs only.
Written agreement
Not required
No statutory practice-agreement requirement was confirmed for CNMs specifically in this research pass; independent midwifery practices reportedly maintain voluntary consultation/collaboration agreements with hospitals or physicians as clinically needed, not a mandated joint protocol. Treat as likely-unconditional but not fully verified against primary N.J.A.C. 13:35-2A text.
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Licensee-only ownership required — Unclear whether CNM licensure under the Board of Medical Examiners makes midwifery a 'closely allied professional service' eligible for independent Professional Corporation ownership under N.J.S.A. 14A:17-1 et seq., or whether the same-profession-only rule described in the `pa`/`np` entries still requires physician ownership — not resolved in this research pass.
This is a genuinely open question, not a confirmed answer either way — verify against BME guidance before relying on it for an ownership structure decision.
Legal sources for these rules (3)
- N.J.S.A. 45:10-1 et seq. — Nurse Midwifery Practice Act
- N.J.A.C. 13:35-2A — Limited licenses: midwifery
- New Jersey Affiliate of the American College of Nurse-Midwives (NJACNM) — For Students page (secondary source describing CNM/CM independent-provider status and scope)secondary
What physicians charge for this role
Typical monthly compensation in New Jersey
$500 – $600
Estimate for one Certified Nurse-Midwife. Standard-tier state.
About New Jersey's rules
S2996/A4052 (signed 3/30/2026) grants APNs in primary/behavioral-health population foci independent practice at ≥5,000 hours, ending the COVID-era waiver — but implementing regulations were not yet adopted at this writing, so several details below rely on bill text/press coverage, not a finalized rule. NJ's Professional Service Corporation Act (N.J.S.A. 14A:17-1 et seq.) is notably strict CPOM: only physicians may hold equity in a medical PC.
Other clinicians in New Jersey: see the state overview.