Midwives

Provide prenatal care and childbirth assistance.

Median Annual Wage: $49,430

Education: Master's degree (27%); Associate's degree (20%); Bachelor's degree (15%)

Projected Growth: Faster than average (15% to 21%)

Related Job Titles: Certified Professional Midwife; Licensed Midwife; Director of Midwifery/Staff Midwife; Lay Midwife; Licensed Direct Entry Midwife; Midwife; Midwife and Birth Center Owner; Staff Midwife; Certified Professional Midwife, Licensed Midwife; Licensed Midwife, Certified Professional Midwife

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Source: O*NET OnLine information for Midwives.

More Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Careers

  • Monitor fetal growth and well-being through heartbeat detection, body measurement, and palpation.
  • Identify, monitor, or treat pregnancy-related problems such as hypertension, gestational diabetes, pre-term labor, and retarded fetal growth.
  • Provide necessary medical care for infants at birth, including emergency care such as resuscitation.
  • Establish and follow emergency or contingency plans for mothers and newborns.
  • Identify tubal and ectopic pregnancies and refer patients for treatments.
  • Perform post-partum health assessments of mothers and babies at regular intervals.
  • Maintain documentation of all patients' contacts, reviewing and updating records as necessary.
  • Assess the status of post-date pregnancies to determine treatments and interventions.
  • Counsel women regarding the nutritional requirements of pregnancy.
  • Suture perineal lacerations.
  • Conduct ongoing prenatal health assessments, tracking changes in physical and emotional health.
  • Obtain complete health and medical histories from patients including medical, surgical, reproductive, or mental health histories.
  • Assist maternal patients to find physical positions that will facilitate childbirth.
  • Evaluate patients' laboratory and medical records, requesting assistance from other practitioners when necessary.
  • Estimate patients' due dates and re-evaluate as necessary based on examination results.
  • Set up or monitor the administration of oxygen or medications.
  • Provide information about the physical and emotional processes involved in the pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum periods.
  • Complete birth certificates.
  • Provide comfort and relaxation measures for mothers in labor through interventions such as massage, breathing techniques, hydrotherapy, and music.
  • Refer patients to specialists for procedures such as ultrasounds and biophysical profiles.
  • Develop, implement, or evaluate individualized plans for midwifery care.
  • Test patients' hemoglobin, hematocrit, and blood glucose levels.
  • Recommend the use of vitamin and mineral supplements to enhance the health of patients and children.
  • Respond to breech birth presentations by applying methods such as exercises and external version.
  • Incorporate research findings into practice as appropriate.
  • Assess birthing environments to ensure cleanliness, safety, and the availability of appropriate supplies.
  • Provide, or refer patients to other providers for, education or counseling on topics such as genetic testing, newborn care, contraception, and breastfeeding.
  • Collect specimens for use in laboratory tests.
  • Provide postpartum patients with contraceptive and family planning information.
  • Inform patients of how to prepare and supply birth sites.
  • Treat patients' symptoms with alternative health care methods such as herbs and hydrotherapy.
  • Provide information about community health and social resources.
  • Compile and evaluate clinical practice statistics.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Midwives.

  • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Midwives.

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