Certified Nurse Midwife: 4 steps to successfully become one
The healthcare industry is a need in our life. It develops rapidly and brings abundant opportunities for nurses. It is expected that the demand for nurses, especially for a certified nurse midwife is accumulating by nearly 45%. If your career scope is nurse, why not be a nurse-midwife?
1. What is a certified nurse midwife?
Concisely, a certified nurse midwife (CNM) is a registered nurse who is professional in taking care of women and newborn babies. They are highly trained to make sure that the pregnancy, birth-giving and infant’s health are safest.
2. Where do certified nurse midwife work?
It is reported that CNM often works in hospitals, clinics, birthing centres or health departments to help and take care of patients in childbirth. Their working hour also relies on which organization they are working for. However, the average hour is from 8 to 12 hours/shift. Although helping new parents prepare for childbirth and welcome their infant into the world can be a hard and emotionally exhausting job, it is also recognized to be highly gratifying.
2.1. Hospital
CNM assists gynaecologists with both normal and surgical deliveries. They help pregnant mothers and newborns with pain management and personal care.
2.2. Birthing centre
CNM diagnoses and treats gynecological disorders and keeps track of pregnant women. They may provide contraception and family planning counseling, as well as treat sexually transmitted infections.
2.3. Public health clinic
CNM diagnoses and treats gynecological disorders and keeps track of pregnant women. They may provide contraception and family planning advice, as well as treatment for sexually transmitted infections.
3. What are certified nurse midwife duties?
To be clear, certified nurse midwife usually sticks with doctors, nurses and other staff of the hospital. They also work as a team to provide treatment and healthcare services for patients. Specifically, CNM tasks are:
- Providing skilled reproductive and gynaecological health care: The nurse-primary midwife’s responsibility is to give professional support and care to women and newborns during their pregnancy, labour, and childbirth, as well as in the weeks after delivery.
- Works by themself or in collaboration with other medical professionals: Nurse midwife, like other registered nurse practitioners, operate independently or in collaboration with medical practitioners, based on the rules of the state where they work.
- Promotes the principle of minimum intervention: The vast majority of births are physiologically regular occurrences that just need assistance. During the natural course of pregnancy, labour, and delivery, nurse midwives support the philosophy of minimal intervention.
- Use of health education to promote wellness: Throughout all of these phases, the nurse midwife’s mission includes promoting wellness via health education, not just for the woman but also for family members and the community.
- Provides timely intervention in the event of a potential health threat: They give appropriate assistance if there are any possible issues or if a real health concern or emergency arises.
- Diagnose and treat health problems: certified nurse midwife has been educated to diagnose and treat illnesses, as well as to order and assess tests. They can deal with a variety of emergency scenarios that may develop during childbirth, as well as patch lacerations.
4. How to become a certified nurse midwife?
Honestly, it is not easy to become a certified nurse midwife. It takes not only your time but also your cost. In this article, we will focus on the process of how to become a CNM. It is reported that after 6 to 8 years you will complete the certified nurse midwife progress.
The first qualification you should have is a bachelor’s degree in nursing by at least 4 years in university. After getting it, you must apply to be a registered nurse (RN) by taking the NCLEX-RN exam. Once you are titled an RN, you can work as a practice nurse to gain experience and skills.
The next move is to achieve a graduate degree in nurse midwifery to work in this field, and both master’s or PhD’s are accepted. However, the higher your education level, the higher your income. You will be required to have at least one year of practising as a nurse before taking this program. Be noticed!
The last step of this progress is to pass the American Midwifery Certification Board exam. Being a candidate for this exam means that you can practice as a certified nurse midwife in all US.
| Steps | Certified nurse midwife qualifications |
| 1 | Obtain the nursing bachelor’s degree |
| 2 | Pass the certification exam for registered nurses |
| 3 | Take a degree in nurse midwifery |
| 4 | Pass the American Midwifery Certification Board exam |
5. What is the career outlook for certified nurse midwife?
Due to the development of the healthcare field, it is also a high urgent to recruit certified nurse midwife. Based on a BLS, job growth for CNM is roughly 11% by 2030.
In addition, the location of your workplace can have a significant impact on your ability to compete for CNM employment. In a hospital context, where turnover might be considered owing to irregular hours and other causes, nurse midwives are less likely to encounter competition. Midwives, on the other hand, may face more competition if they wish to work in a doctor’s office, where regular hours are the norm and working conditions are often superior. Because rural communities have a tougher time recruiting healthcare personnel, whether a position is in a city or a rural location might affect competitiveness.
Besides, the salary of CNM is also attractive. Due to the trusted statistic, the average certified nurse midwife salary in the United States is approximately $115,633. However, the range can vary depending on a lot of factors, such as experience or additional skills.
In brief, this post is about certified nurse midwife and how to become one. You can consider being a certified nurse-midwife due to some benefits of job growth and the salary we mentioned above. In addition, start your career as a nurse midwife by doing the NCLEX Practice Test on our website now!