Certified Nurse Midwife Career Guide | NurseJournal (2024)

FAQs

What type of midwife gets paid the most? ›

With their advanced education and skills, certified nurse midwives (CNMs) typically rank among the highest-paid nurses, with a median salary of $111,130, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Career path and progression

You could take further training to specialise in areas like ultrasound or neonatal care. With experience, you could become a ward manager or team leader. You could also train to become a health visitor, a director of midwifery or midwifery consultant.

Nurse midwives in Florida earn an average of $91,160 per year (or $43.83 per hour). Florida nurse midwives earn 20% lower than the national average salary for CNMs, at $114,210 (or $54.91 per hour).

The hours a certified nurse midwife (CNM) works vary depending on the organization, facility, or practice group, as well as their preference. Some can work 8-hour days, 40 hours a week in the clinic. Some may work 10 or 12-hour shifts in the hospital. Some may work both shifts during a workweek.

Midwife is a good job for people who want to educate women about health issues and help pregnant women to have a healthy labor and delivery. This is also a good career choice because there is a strong job outlook. Nurse midwives are expected to see significant growth in job opportunities in the coming years.

Job growth for certified nurse midwives is strong—7 percent through 2031, according to the BLS. In addition to demand, a career as a nurse midwife or in other APRN specialties can be attractive because these nurses practice with a high degree of responsibility and autonomy.

You will be physically, emotionally and mentally pushed to your limits in this job. It's not all sunshine and roses and not every ending is a happy one in maternity.

The first step to becoming a midwife is to take a degree level programme approved by the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC). This may be a full-time undergraduate or postgraduate degree or midwifery degree apprenticeship.

CNMs are nurses who have completed a graduate-level nurse-midwife program and passed a certification exam from the American Midwifery Certification Board, while CMs are non-nurses who have complete a graduate-level midwifery degree program and passed a certification exam from the American Midwifery Certification Board.

Is a CNM the same as a midwife? ›

Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) and Certified Midwives (CMs) are educated in graduate-level midwifery programs accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME).

There is one significant difference between a midwife and a doula. Midwives provide medical care for you during pregnancy, birth, and the immediate postpartum period. Doulas provide you and your family with emotional, informational, and physical support during pregnancy, birth and the immediate postpartum period.

Your standard working week will be around 37.5 hours on shift pattern which can include nights, early starts, evenings, weekends and bank holidays.

Because midwives support women before, during and after childbirth, the job is diverse. They generally work shifts – AM, PM or night shifts of eight hours and many work part time. While nurses are usually stationed on a particular ward, it's common for midwives to switch between different areas within a hospital.

Most Certified Nurse Midwife programs are 2 to 3 years in length. During the program, students will take courses such as Physiology and Pathophysiology, Advanced Primary Care Nursing, Intrapartum and Postpartum Care, and Care of the Childbearing Woman.

Labor and Delivery Nurse Salary Ranges

The majority of labor and delivery nurses earned between $69,100 and $85,900. However, salaries can range from as low as $62,909 to as high as $95,004 according to Salary.com.

Best-Paying States for Nurse Midwives

The states and districts that pay Nurse Midwives the highest mean salary are California ($159,590), Utah ($133,680), Mississippi ($127,960), New York ($125,780), and Minnesota ($123,600).

While they share many soft skills, a nurse and midwife often use different technical skills and knowledge. Midwives require extensive knowledge about labour and delivery methods. Nurses may use a variety of technical medical knowledge related to their specialisation.

Is it stressful being a midwife? ›

Partaking in the everyday miracle that is birth is something that constantly draws people into the midwifery profession, but that's not to say being a Midwife isn't without its challenges. In this role, you work hard typically over a long shift in environments that are often emotionally intense.

Pass the Nurse-Midwife Certification (CNM) exam by the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB). Apply to become an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). Start practicing and continue education to retain your license.

A good midwife is personable, trustworthy, funny, well-informed, and someone new mothers can depend on in their times of need. Midwives are the main point of contact for expectant parents. They provide evidence-based information and advice that will help them navigate their pregnancy and prepare for motherhood.

Midwives are being spread too thinly across the service because there are just too few of them. That's compromising the level of care they want to give to pregnant women and it's driving many of them out of the profession.

Make-up is also fine as long as it's modest rather than the kind you might use on a night out! Also, no false lashes… The only jewellery you can wear is one plain metal ring with no stones in and one small, plain stud in each ear (the lower part of the lobe).

The qualifications you'll need

To become a midwife you'll need a degree in midwifery, which takes three years to complete. If you're already a registered adult nurse, you can undertake a shorter course instead, which takes 18 months.

Salaries of certified nurse-midwives tend to vary depending on the state as well as level of experience, cost of living and other factors. Most CNMs are salaried employees of hospitals, birthing centers or clinics, while others work independently and are paid per birth.

Can a Midwife Become a Gynaecologist? Ultimately, if an already-established midwife would like to undertake the extra training, they could most definitely become a gynaecologist or an Ob/Gyn.

What are the 4 types of midwives? ›

In addition to training as a nurse, the nurse-midwife has completed a higher education program (either a master's or doctoral degree with a focus in midwifery) and performed hundreds to thousands of additional clinical hours both managing primary care patients and attending births during their training.

CNMs tend to focus more on providing medical care to women of childbearing age, pregnant women, and newborn babies, while WHNPs focus on providing general and reproductive health care to women across the life span, from menarche on to old age.

Midwives can provide a range of reproductive and gynecological healthcare services, including annual well-woman visits, contraception (including IUD insertion), fertility counseling, lab testing, and more — anything that doesn't “involve an incision,” explains Chloe Lubell, CNM, WHNP, a certified nurse midwife and ...

They're called Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNM) and have a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution as well as a certification from the American College of Nurse Midwives. Midwives are commonly certified as International Board Certified Lactation Consultants, with advanced knowledge on the breastfeeding process.

'” The truth, however, is that midwives are able to offer the same attention and care to women who are not pregnant. “Certified nurse midwives provide reproductive/sexual health care from menarche (first menstrual period) to post-menopause (last menstrual period),” says Borden.

You can do a Bachelor of Midwifery (BMid) and become a midwife without studying any other kind of nursing. The Bachelor of Midwifery is usually a three year, full-time university degree course. However, there are different study options you can choose from.

Many women choose a midwife over a doctor because they want additional emotional support before, during and after delivery. A midwife will get to know you, your family and your preferences over the course of your pregnancy.

A midwife is a health care provider, while a doula is more of a childbirth coach.

Nurse Howell points out that there are two categories of midwives – the community midwife and hospital midwife.

What skills does a midwife need? ›

In addition to being a partner for Mom and family during pregnancy and through labor and delivery, midwives also provide post-partum care — assessing blood pressure, checking incisions, and monitoring physical healing.

For any healthcare professional, Nurses, Midwives, Doctors and so on, 12-hour shift work is our norm, and it does take a little bit of time to get used to. For those of you who are going into Nursing or Midwifery careers, you will be working 12-hour shifts, especially as a Student Nurse or a Student Midwife.

The standard course load for a full-time college student is 12 to 18 credit hours. Students wanting to take more than 18 credit hours must meet the following conditions: Have a college-level cumulative grade point average of 2.5 and. Have no grade lower than a C in the last term enrolled in college and.

Specialty Programs - Tuition

Fall 2022 start: Fall 2021, $3,000; Spring 2022, $2,950; Summer 2022, $2,950; Fall 2022, $2,950.

Bands 4 – 7

Band 5 will have three step points, taking a minimum of two years to progress from the entry step point to the mid step point and then a further minimum of two years to progress to the top of the band.

The other thing you need to bear in mind is although midwives get paid more than nurses if you choose nursing there are many more different career paths to take within nursing then there is midwifery because midwifery is already specialized where as with nursing you could take any route such as adult/ child/ mental ...

Job/Role Summary

To work in partnership with women and give the necessary support, care and evidenced based advice to them during the antenatal, intranatal and postnatal period. Also to provide care for the newborn in the postnatal period.

Midwives can make a difference to these shocking outcomes. But recent research shows their numbers are sorely lacking. According to The State of the World's Midwifery 2021 report (SoWMy 2021), the world currently needs 900,000 more midwives. This represents a third of the required global midwifery workforce.

Where is the best place to be a midwife? ›

US midwives who want to play an active role in the birthing process should look for work in the Northeast, Pacific Northwest, and Southwest states, as these have the highest numbers of midwives practicing for every 1,000 births; states in the Deep South have the fewest.

But Midwifery is a demanding course, with long hours and high workload for three full years. Rest while you can. Treat yourself to a few extra hours' sleep and enjoy time off with friends and family while the time is there. There's plenty of time for study when September comes around.

Newly qualified, NMC registered nurses start at Band 5, and the most qualified and experienced nursing consultants and specialists can climb all the way to the uppermost pay band, which is band 9. Within each banding, different levels of NHS pay are on offer according to experience.

Work environment

Depending on the facility, they may be required to work evening, weekend, holiday, and on-call hours. Nurse midwifery can be a stressful and emotionally draining role, but it is also found to be quite rewarding to help new parents prepare for childbirth and welcome their newborn into the world.

Your standard working week will be around 37.5 hours on shift pattern which can include nights, early starts, evenings, weekends and bank holidays.

Do I need to be a nurse before I can train as a midwife? No, you do not need to be a nurse first - although this is one of the routes into the profession.

Salaries for newly qualified midwives are set at Band 5, which starts at £25,655. You can then progress to Band 6, which ranges from £32,306 to £39,027. Salaries at Band 7, where you'll be working at a more senior level, e.g. managing a team, are in the region of £40,057 to £45,839.

NHS Band 7 Nurse Salary

This Band caters to Nurse Practitioners or Advanced Nurses and typically requires you to have a Masters degree for entry. In Band 7, Nurses can expect to earn between £40,057 to £45,839 per year. More specifically, a Band 7 Nurses income will be: 0-1 years' experience - £40,057.