A nurse midwife is a person who assists pregnant women in childbirth. A certified nurse midwife is trained in nursing as well as being a midwife. The main focuses of these nurses are in childbirth and general gynecology. They can also prescribe medicine if required. While assisting in childbirth they have to be very alert because if something goes wrong, they have to take quick action and get the proper care required to overcome it. The demand for this profession has grown over the years because of trust over what they are doing for them. Midwives help the women to get through the birth process in a natural way. Therefore they are in demand by lots of women who prefer them over doctors who use medical procedures. It is also a responsibility of a midwife to counsel and educate women on proper family planning and birth control.
There are a lot of accredited nurse midwifery courses available for those who want to pursue this field. For being a qualified nurse midwife you have to be a registered nurse. There are specific studies they have to take before getting the permit to open up a practice or work anywhere. For being a certified nurse midwife you must go through certification tests. Before you enroll for certified nurse midwife programs, make sure the institution is accredited and approved by the American College Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) association [www.midwife.org]. Earlier this field used to be considered for women only. But these days it is not unusual to see male midwives helping women in the child birth process.
A Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) salary is between $50,000 to $82,000 per year.
Find certified nurse midwife jobs here.
Most Related Article: male nursing career