These days, more and more nurses are exercising their options to become Nurse Midwives. Becoming Nurse Midwives allows nurses to take part in the job of child birthing while providing emotional support to the couples and their new babies. Nurse Midwives offer specialized services, and they receive very lucrative salaries.
What Is a Nurse Midwife?
A Nurse Midwife is an individual who receives specialized training in Midwifery and Nursing. Certified Nurse Midwives are Advanced Practice Nurses that serve as the primary healthcare provider for women of childbearing age. They provide their services to women who are considered a low heath risk, which means that the women and their neonates are considered a low risk for complications during birth.
Once certified, Nurse Midwives can practice in any of the 50 United States. They can practice in medical clinics and hospitals around the country, and they can deliver babies in homes and birthing centers. Nurse Midwives can prescribe some treatments, therapeutic measures, medications, diagnostic measures, and medical devices to patients in each of the 50 states.
Their scope of practice may vary according to the state in which they are licensed to practice. Nurse Midwives provide medical care to women, including care for neonates, intrapartum care, antepartum care, gynecological care, postpartum care, and nonsurgical care.
Some states allow Nurse Midwives to provide care to the male partners of their female patients. They can provide these male patients with care in the areas of reproductive health and sexually transmitted diseases. They also work closely with Obstetricians and Gynecologists with patients who develop diseases and complicated medical histories.
Education Requirements for Nurse Midwives
It takes approximately 4 to 6 years of schooling to become Nurse Midwives. Many nurses start their education with certificates, diplomas, and associate’s degrees in nursing before pursuing their master’s degree in nursing. Nurses should attend accredited colleges and universities so that they can have the best opportunities for success as Nurse Midwives. Some employers will not consider graduates of non-accredited colleges and universities.
Undergraduate nursing programs consist of laboratory work, classroom instruction, and supervised clinical experience. Students must take the NCLEX-RN examination after graduating to earn the credentials of Registered Nurse (RN). Nurses are required to be Registered Nurses before they can become Certified Nurse Midwives.
Nurses must attend graduate school to become Nurse Midwives. The programs must be accredited by the American College of Nurse Midwives. The programs provide an in depth study of women’s health topics and birthing experiences. It may be necessary that nurses have at least one year of experience in labor and delivery before they can enter a nurse midwifery program.
The course requirements may consist of courses in anatomy, nutrition, medical ethics, and reproduction. The topics may cover information from such fields of nursing as gerontology, emergency medicine, pediatrics, and psychiatric nursing.
Nurses must take the NCLEX certification examination to become Certified Nurse Midwives. They are required to meet a certain number of continuing education hours to maintain their status as Certified Nurse Midwives. Continuing education hours help Nurse Midwives stay abreast of the latest advancements in midwifery. Each state has a specific number of hours so nurses must check with their State Boards of Nursing to find out the specific number.
How Much Money Do Nurse Midwives Make?
According to information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the salary ranges for Nurse Midwives working as Registered Nurses are $43,970 to $93,700 annually. BLS also states that Nurse Midwives who are Registered Nurses make mean annual salaries of $63,750. Certified Nurse Midwives make an average annually salary of $84,000. Many Nurse Midwives make salaries over $100,000 annually with experience.
The median hourly wage for Nurse Midwives is $14 to $45 hourly. A new Nurse Midwife may make an hourly salary range of $14 to $29 per hour. Nurse Midwives with 20 years of experience or more can earn hourly wages of $36 to $45. The salaries that Nurse Midwives earn depend greatly on location, experience, need, education, and work environment. Independent Nurse Midwives may make higher annual salaries than Nurse Midwives who work for medical facilities.
Becoming Nurse Midwives allows nurses to receive specialized training in Midwifery and Nursing. Nurse Midwives provide a valuable service to mothers and their newborns. They receive lucrative salaries because of the nature of their work.