Overview
Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) are Advanced Practice Nurses who provide counseling and care during preconception, pregnancy, childbirth, and the post-partum period. CNMs and their colleagues certified midwives (CMs) also provide family-centered primary healthcare to women throughout their reproductive lives.
Skilled midwifery can reduce the need for high-tech interventions for most women in labor, but midwives also are trained in the latest scientific procedures to assist in normal deliveries. CNM-attended births account for 10% of all spontaneous vaginal births in the US, and 7% of all US births in total. Of these deliveries, 97% occur in hospitals, 1.8% in freestanding birth centers, and 1% at home.
Many people mistakenly think that midwives do nothing but assist with births. In fact, although attending births is an integral and rewarding part of the job, this is only a fraction of what midwives actually do. On average, CNMs/CMs spend 10% of their time in the direct care of birthing women and their newborns.
In addition to the care they give patients before, during, and after pregnancy and childbirth, CNMs/CMs provide routine gynecological services – including reproductive health visits, regular gynecologic care (i.e., annual exams), and peri-/post-menopausal care. In fact, 90% of all their patient visits are for primary, preventive care. CNMs/CMs are skilled health professionals who practice in a wide variety of clinical settings, diagnosing and treating patients as well as referging them to a specialist, if required.
CNMs/CMs are a vital part of the healthcare team and collaborate closely with physicians. When CNMs/CMs and physicians work together as a team, women receive an optimal combination of primary and preventive care, with specialized services as needed.
Today’s midwives come from all walks of life. Some earned their midwifery degree immediately after graduating from college, but others are former teachers, writers, missionaries, general practice nurses, etc. CNMs/CMs mirror our modern world: rich in diversity. However, all of them share a deep commitment to bettering maternal and child health, not only in this country but throughout the world.
You can download, save and print a PDF of this career profile:
Nurse Midwife 16 May 2008 [pdf, 178 KB]
For more information about CNMs/CMs, see: www.myMidwife.org and the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM)’s Career Center.