Working as a midwife is a rewarding and challenging job that people have been doing for centuries. With the goal of guiding and assisting a traditional birth, nurses working in this specialty are guided by a belief that a woman should be suitably supported during and after her pregnancy. Midwives generally work in locations such as birthing centers, health departments, private practices, and hospitals, but can also be in other places. They are trained medical professionals that uniquely combine expertise with customized individualized care. Midwife jobs center around:

• Providing topnotch prenatal, postpartum and newborn care
• Directing and assisting during childbirth
• Working to ensure proper fetal development
• Referring to a medical doctor for certain situations or complications
• Carrying out physical exams
• Post childbirth, teaching a mother the appropriate breastfeeding methods and other practices to care for her baby

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Midwife Career Information

There is no one educational path that can qualify you to become a midwife – several avenues are possible. However, you will ultimately need to obtain a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. You can be a Certified Midwife (CM), a Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM), or a Direct-Entry Midwife (DEM). Although this profession is commonly thought of as providing care restricted to the time around childbirth, some nurse midwives provide primary care for women during all stages of life. In this role they are responsible for handling regular physical exams, testing, medication prescriptions, and other related tasks. Nurses looking into this specialty should consider the specific training and time commitment to become a midwife.