Nurse Midwife
A nurse midwife is a licensed medical professional specializing in prenatal, postnatal, and obstetrical care, as well as routine gynecological services. They play a crucial role in coordinating the birth process and working alongside patients to develop personalized birth plans. Nurse midwives require a master's degree in nursing, along with specialized training in midwifery and obstetrics, and they typically work in various settings, including hospitals, birthing centers, and clinics. This profession is characterized by a strong demand for services, with a projected employment growth rate of 38%, indicating a significant need for nurse midwives, particularly in underserved communities.
Day-to-day responsibilities involve conducting physical exams, monitoring pregnancies, assisting during labor and delivery, and providing postpartum education to new mothers. Nurse midwives also collaborate with other healthcare professionals and are often involved in patient education on topics such as infant care and breastfeeding. These professionals are known for their nurturing and empathetic approach, essential traits for effectively supporting women and families through childbirth and women's health issues. Overall, nurse midwives are key contributors to maternal and child health, advocating for patient care and education in a culturally sensitive manner.
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Subject Terms
Nurse Midwife
Snapshot
Career Cluster(s): Health Science
Interests: Health, gynecology, obstetrics, anatomy, biology, physiology
Earnings (Yearly Median): $129,480 per year $62.25 per hour
Employment & Outlook: 38% (Much faster than average)
Entry-Level Education Master's degree
Related Work Experience None
On-the-job Training None
Overview
Sphere of Work. Nurse midwives are licensed medical professionals responsible for coordinating and overseeing prenatal, postnatal, and obstetrical care and the birth process. They may also provide routine gynecological services. Nurse midwives must have specialized graduate training in midwifery and obstetrics and generalized nursing instruction. They traditionally work as part of a patient care team that includes registered nurses, obstetricians, gynecologists, physicians, and anesthesiologists.
Work Environment. Nurse midwives may practice in urban or rural areas; nurse midwifery is becoming more common among underserved populations. Nurse midwives may spend a work shift overseeing the care of one or more patients. Given the constant and unpredictable demands of the profession, nurse midwives may need to work days, evenings, nights, weekends, and on-call hours to meet patient needs.
Occupation Interest. Individuals drawn to the profession of nurse midwife tend to be physically strong, nurturing, even-tempered, and intelligent people who can assess situations quickly, solve problems, and demonstrate empathy. Successful nurse midwives should be patient, resourceful, responsible, and concerned for the well-being of others, with physical stamina and effective time management skills. Nurse midwives should enjoy working with women and children and have a background in women’s health.
A Day in the Life—Duties and Responsibilities. Like other medical professionals, nurse midwives’ daily duties primarily center on patient care. Nurse midwives greet patients and explain the nurse midwife’s role in the patient’s treatment or procedure. They interview patients about their health histories, take notes, perform physical exams, provide routine gynecological care to patients, and order diagnostic tests, such as ultrasounds and screenings. Depending on their state and type of certification, nurse midwives can also prescribe or administer medications for obstetrical or gynecological purposes. Nurse midwives who work in hospitals or medical clinics may meet with a supervising obstetrician to discuss patients, while many others work independently in their own practices.
In collaboration with their patients, nurse midwives monitor and coordinate pregnancies and births. Nurse midwives provide prenatal care to women, track fetal growth and status through fetal heart rate monitoring and uterine growth measurements, and help develop individual birth plans. They assist with labor and delivery, monitoring vital signs (including pulse, heart rate, skin color, dilation, blood pressure, and urine output) before, during, and after the event. Following a successful delivery, the nurse midwife provides the initial care to the newborn infant. Whenever necessary, a nurse midwife must respond to patient emergencies and collaborate with or defer to specialists regarding patient care.
Nurse midwives are patient educators. They instruct all patients in postpartum care and frequently offer classes on childbirth, infant care, and CPR, as well as breastfeeding. They may also work as lactation consultants to help women with the breastfeeding process.
Additionally, all nurse midwives are responsible for educating themselves about the administrative, physical, and technical patient privacy safeguards included in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). To ensure patient and staff safety, they must also maintain clean and sterile gynecological and obstetrical equipment and working environments.
Work Environment
Immediate Physical Environment. A nurse midwife’s immediate physical environment will depend on their employer and job specialization. Nurse midwives typically spend their workdays seeing and treating patients in hospitals, birthing centers, medical clinics, or offices. Depending on state regulations, they may also offer prenatal and obstetrical care to patients in their homes. Due to the nature of their work, nurse midwives are at greater risk for back strain and exposure to infectious diseases, radiation, or harmful chemicals.
Human Environment. Nurse midwives may work independently or with other medical professionals, including physicians, surgeons, nurses, obstetricians, gynecologists, and anesthesiologists. Nurse midwives attend to gynecological, prenatal, and obstetrical health and should be comfortable caring for women and families from a wide range of backgrounds.
Technological Environment. Nurse midwives use many kinds of technological equipment and medical tools to complete their work. These devices and instruments may include ultrasound machines, fetal monitors, stethoscopes, thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, sanitizing equipment, oxygen masks, speculums, umbilical cord clamps, scalpels or surgical scissors, vacuums, forceps, and surgical masks and gloves. Some facilities may also use electronic medical records (EMR) or other medical software programs.
Education, Training, and Advancement
High School/Secondary. High school students interested in pursuing a career as a nurse midwife should prepare by studying anatomy, chemistry, health, nutrition, psychology, and biology. Foreign languages may also be helpful for future work with patients. Internships or part-time work in the medical community may be available for high school students. Those interested in becoming nurse midwives should research and apply to undergraduate degree programs in nursing.
Postsecondary. Postsecondary students interested in becoming nurse midwives should obtain a bachelor's degree in nursing or a science discipline, such as biology, then earn a master’s degree in nursing (MSN) or a doctorate of nursing practice (DNP), and finally pursue additional graduate training in midwifery and obstetrics. Nurse midwife graduate training programs provide instruction in general nursing duties, such as patient care, infection control, nutrition, psychology, anatomy, physiology, and medical terminology, as well as instruction in midwifery and obstetrical practices. Students are also required to complete a specified number of hours of clinical supervision in medical facilities. Applicants should consider attending a program accredited by the American College of Nurse-Midwives to facilitate certification.
Certificate programs in midwifery are available to advanced-practice nurses who wish to add another area of clinical practice to their repertoire. Job seekers with a bachelor's degree in another field can transition to nurse-midwifery by pursuing either a three-year combined nursing and midwifery program or a two-year nursing program, followed by a midwifery graduate program. Distance education opportunities in nurse-midwifery may be an option through certain institutions.
Related Occupations
− Physician Assistant
Bibliography
Maslin-Prothero, Sian, ed. Baillière's Study Skills for Nurses and Midwives. 4th ed., Elsevier, 2014.
“Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners.” Occupational Outlook Handbook. Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor, 17 Apr. 2024, www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/nurse-anesthetists-nurse-midwives-and-nurse-practitioners.htm. Accessed 23 Aug. 2024.
“Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: 29-1161 Nurse Midwives.” Occupational Employment Statistics. Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor, 3 Apr. 2024, www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291161.htm. Accessed 23 Aug. 2024.
Watson, Gill, and Sandra Rodwell, eds. Safeguarding and Protecting Children, Young People & Families: A Guide for Nurses and Midwives. Sage, 2014.