Midwife / Nurse Midwife
Quick Facts
Median Salary$119,247
Most Common EducationMaster's degree
Projected 10-Year Growth+15.95%
Assessment MatchTake the Assessment
What They Do
A Midwife or Nurse Midwife provides care to pregnant women and assists with delivering babies, in both hospital and home births. May offer alternative medical treatments. May be certified as an advanced practice nurse and combine nursing training with specialty as a midwife.
Core Tasks:
- Provide prenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, or newborn care to patients.
- Monitor fetal development by listening to fetal heartbeat, taking external uterine measurements, identifying fetal position, or estimating fetal size and weight.
- Document patients' health histories, symptoms, physical conditions, or other diagnostic information.
- Provide patients with direct family planning services, such as inserting intrauterine devices, dispensing oral contraceptives, and fitting cervical barriers, including cervical caps or diaphragms.
- Develop and implement individualized plans for health care management.
- Prescribe medications as permitted by state regulations.
- Explain procedures to patients, family members, staff members or others.
- Initiate emergency interventions to stabilize patients.
- Order and interpret diagnostic or laboratory tests.
- Educate patients and family members regarding prenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, newborn, or interconception care.
- Perform physical examinations by taking vital signs, checking neurological reflexes, examining breasts, or performing pelvic examinations.
- Document findings of physical examinations.
- Write information in medical records or provide narrative summaries to communicate patient information to other health care providers.
- Provide primary health care, including pregnancy and childbirth, to women.
- Consult with or refer patients to appropriate specialists when conditions exceed the scope of practice or expertise.
- Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in midwifery.
- Instruct student nurse midwives, medical students, or residents on the birthing process.
- Establish practice guidelines for specialty areas such as primary health care of women, care of the childbearing family, and newborn care.
- Plan, provide, or evaluate educational programs for nursing staff, health care teams, or the community.
- Conduct clinical research on topics such as maternal or infant health care, contraceptive methods, breastfeeding, and gynecological care.
What to expect as a Midwife / Nurse Midwife
1Earn a Master's degree
43% of people achieve this level of education.
2Gain skills and experience
See Midwife / Nurse Midwife related courses on Tallo
3Land a job
836 openings for Midwives / Nurse Midwives
Career Progression
in United States (Nation)
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