Are you attentive, caring and resilient? Does the idea of bringing new life into the world excite you? If yes, then we think a career as a nurse midwife may be the one for you!
A nurse midwife is responsible for all things baby related! They work with women who are expecting babies and provide them with the care they need.
To become a nurse midwife you will need a bachelors degree in nursing, a registered nursing licence and a masters degree in midwifery.
Welcoming a new baby into the world is an exciting time for families. Midwives are there every step of the way – so the career suits those with a passion for helping people.
| ID | Job Title | Gender | Age | Earnings | City & State | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33875 | Homebirth Midwife | Female | 30 | $70,000 | Worcester, MA | 01/01/2010 |
A nurse midwife is responsible for all things baby related! They work with women who are expecting babies, and their families, throughout pregnancy, labour and provide support in the aftermath. Nurse midwifes can work in hospitals, clinics, assisted living facilities, the patients homes and more. Regardless of where they work, midwives can expect to have the following duties and responsibilities:
In the United States, 250 babies are born every single minute! Thats more than 130 million a year!
As a result, midwives are incredibly necessary and important healthcare professionals. They play an instrumental role in ensuring that ladies, and their babies, receive the quality care they need. Without them, thousands of mothers and babies would experience traumatic childbirths.
Pros:
Cons:
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of nurse midwives is projected to grow 45 percent from 2018 to 2028, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. However, it is a small occupation, meaning that this fast employment growth actually only creates around 800 new jobs.
This growth is expected because the increasing population is creating a demand for healthcare services to help look after and advise expecting mothers.
The career path to becoming a nurse midwife typically begins with a bachelors degree in nursing and achieving a registered nursing licence. However, in some circumstances, an associates degree in nursing and a registered nursing license may be enough to kickstart a career!
Nurse midwives are advanced practice registered nurses (ARPNs). Therefore, to become a nurse midwife, you must have at least a master’s degree from an accredited program. Masters degree programs include classroom education and clinical experience.
Graduate-level programs are also available for individuals who did not obtain a bachelor’s degree in nursing but in a related health science field. These programs prepare the student for the RN licensure exam in addition to offering the APRN curriculum.
To further advance their career, nurse midwives may decide to earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) or a Ph.D. The specific educational requirements and qualifications for each of the roles are available on professional organizations’ websites.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for a nurse midwives in the United States was $105,030 in 2019. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $82,460 and the highest 10 percent earned more than $184,180 per year.
The top industries were hospitals, where the median annual salary was $122,40. This is followed by outpatient care centers ($118,530), offices of physicians ($113,190), offices of other health practitioners ($112,590) and educational services ($108,790).
To begin with, nurse midwifes may have to closely follow the instructions of more senior healthcare professionals and may not have to most autonomy. However, as nurse midwives develop more skills and become more competent, they get more responsibility and their autonomy and flexibility increases. Often, they work up to being very senior members of healthcare teams and have a lot of autonomy.
Although the job outlook for nurse midwives is considered very good, there is thought to be more competition for jobs in some areas, compared to others.
According to U.S News, the best states to be a nurse midwife, based on salary average annual salary are:
The largest employers of nurse midwives in the United States were offices of physicians, which employed 47% of all nurse midwives. Hospitals employed 27% of all nurse midwives, outpatient carer centers employed 8%, educational services employed 4% and finally, offices of other health practitioners employed 3%.
Nurse midwives must be physically fit, as they may spend a lot of time walking, bending, stretching and standing and they are vulnerable to back injuries because they often must lift and move patients. If they work in the community, then nurse midwives may have to spend time travelling between clients.
Which personalities tend to succeed and thrive in Nurse Midwife careers? Based on our research, there is a relatively strong positive correlation between the following personality types and Nurse Midwife career satisfaction. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t many exceptions, of course, but if you fit into one of the following personality types then we suggest you give strong consideration to a career in Nurse Midwife.
One of the personality types that a nurse midwives are likely to be an ESFJ type. This is because they are gregariaous, warm, welcoming and highly organized. On top of this, ESFJ’s have a genuine interest in providing for others and taking care of them, which are important characteristics for a nurse midwives.
Nurse midwives have to endure a lot of training in order to become qualified. When they become qualified, they will help women and babies every single day. They will continue to progress their skills throughout their career and, as a result, it is a career that offers a lot of accomplishment and mastery!
Babies are born all the time. Therefore, there is high meaning and contribution of the work of a nurse as midwives. Without them, having children would be dangerous and life-threatening, as it is in many countries.
To further increase the sense of meaning and contribution, nurse midwives may decide to travel abroad and work in deprived areas, where medical care is lacking.
Midwives who work in hospitals usually have to work in shifts, meaning they may have to work nights, weekends, and holidays. They may also have to be on call, which means that they are on duty and must be available to work on short notice. However, nurse midwives who work in services that do not provide 24-hour care are more likely to have regular business hours, giving a midwifery career in these areas a better life fit.
There are a few key qualities that nurse midwives need, for example:
It goes without saying that those who don’t like blood or injury will struggle as a nurse midwife… it is not a career for the faint hearted! On top of this, those who prefer to work with little social interaction or who would rather work normal 9-5 hours are likely to find the job frustrating. Finally, those who aren’t physically fit enough to walk around all day may struggle as a nurse midwife.
As well as physical stamina, nurse midwives also need skills such as:
The career path to becoming a nurse midwife typically begins with a bachelors degree in nursing and achieving a registered nursing licence. However, in some circumstances, an associates degree in nursing and a registered nursing license may be enough to kickstart a career!
Nurse midwives are advanced practice registered nurses (ARPNs). Therefore, to become a nurse midwife, you must have at least a master’s degree from an accredited program. Masters degree programs include classroom education and clinical experience.
Graduate-level programs are also available for individuals who did not obtain a bachelor’s degree in nursing but in a related health science field. These programs prepare the student for the RN licensure exam in addition to offering the APRN curriculum.
As well as having a registered nursing license, nurse midwives may want to achieve certification from the American Midwifery Certification Board. Individuals with this designation must recertify via the Certificate Maintenance Program.
In addition, nurse midwife positions may require cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), basic life support (BLS), or advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) certification.
A nurse midwife is responsible for all things baby related! They work with women who are expecting babies and provide them with the care they need.
With the growing population, there will continue to be a demand for midwives. This will create many exciting job opportunities in a wide range of healthcare settings.
If becoming a nurse midwife sounds appealing to you, consider choosing high school diplomas in biology or anatomy. After this, decide which nursing programme you would like to take!
To become a nurse midwife you will need a bachelors degree in nursing and to achieve a registered nursing licence. However, in some circumstances, an associates degree in nursing and a registered nursing license may be enough to kickstart a career!
Nurse midwives are advanced practice registered nurses (ARPNs). Therefore, to become a nurse midwife, you must have at least a master’s degree from an accredited program. Masters degree programs include classroom education and clinical experience.
Nurses midwives learn many of their skills on the job. In some states, they are required to continue their education and learning in order to maintain their license. They will also continue to develop their skills throughout their career as their knowledge and experience progresses.
Have a question about Nurse Midwife careers? If so, our mentors would love to help! Just click on a mentor’s profile below and then fill out the “Ask a Question” form on that page. Your question will then be emailed to the mentor, who can then email you a reply.
| ID | Job Title | Gender | Age | Earnings | City & State | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33875 | Homebirth Midwife | Female | 30 | $70,000 | Worcester, MA | 01/01/2010 |
