CNM · Wisconsin
Collaborative Practice Agreement for Certified Nurse-Midwives in Wisconsin
No. Certified Nurse-Midwives practice independently here. Wisconsin does not require one.
Uniquely among Wisconsin's four APRN roles, CNMs are automatically licensed under the new APRN system with NO 3,840-hour/24-month transition requirement — the APRN Modernization Act carves midwives out of the general transition-to-practice framework entirely.
What the collaboration must look like
The rules the physician relationship has to follow. Each fact comes from the statute or board rule listed under sources.
Proximity
No proximity requirement
No collaborative-agreement or physician-oversight relationship is required for CNM licensure post-Act 17.
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
Schedule II-V with DEA registration, same CE requirement as other Wisconsin APRN roles.
Written agreement
Not required
Unconditional since the APRN Modernization Act (eff. Sept. 1, 2026) — CNMs are auto-licensed with no collaborative-agreement requirement, unlike the other three APRN roles above, which must transition through a collaborative period first.
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Licensee-only ownership required — Service Corporation under Wis. Stat. ch. 180, subch. XIX — a CNM may co-own a multi-discipline service corporation as a health care professional; non-licensees may not hold equity.
Legal sources for these rules (1)
What a collaborating physician costs here
Typical monthly cost in Wisconsin
$500 – $600
Estimate for one Certified Nurse-Midwife. Standard-tier state.
About Wisconsin's rules
The APRN Modernization Act (2025 Act 17) took effect September 1, 2026 — days before this data's last-verified date — replacing permanent NP/CRNA/CNS collaborative arrangements with a 3,840-hour/24-month transition to independent practice; CNMs are auto-licensed with NO such threshold. Given how recent this is, verify current DSPS/Board of Nursing implementation guidance before relying on transition-period details below.
Other clinicians in Wisconsin: see the state overview.