Certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) provide comprehensive care to women before, during, and after pregnancy. CNMs differentiate themselves from OB/GYN physicians by treating women with uncomplicated pregnancies using non-medical interventions. If a pregnancy does develop complications, the CNM collaborates with an OB/GYN. Certified nurse-midwives are considered valuable members of the OB/GYN team.
It is also important to remember that not all midwives are nurses. Certified midwives (CMs) receive the same midwife training as nurses, but certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) are registered nurses with advanced practice certification who are also trained to be midwives. They provide the benefit of having multiple sources of education and experience.
People often think midwives only deliver babies at home. CNM/CMs attend to approximately 10% of all U.S. births. However, in 89% of those births, CNM/CMs attended to mothers inside a hospital. Less than 10% of those babies were delivered in homes or birthing centers in 2019. Another misconception is that CNM/CMs are only delivery coaches. That is the role of a doula. CNM/CMs coach women, but that is only one of their many roles.
CNMs attend to deliveries the same way OB/GYNs do but with a more holistic approach. They aid women with both their physical and psychosocial needs, assist with alternative pain management during labor, tend to the newborn after birth, and give women breastfeeding guidance.
Certified nurse-midwives also focus on providing women's health outside of prenatal care, labor, delivery, and postpartum care. Some also provide gynecological services, reproductive teaching, and peri and post-menopause care.
Certified nurse-midwives can obtain their advanced practice degree as women's health nurse practitioners (WHNPs) in addition to midwifery training.
Certified nurse-midwives assist women at any stage of pregnancy, during childbirth, and during postpartum care. They also can care for the new infant for the first month. Certified nurse-midwives often meet prospective patients when a woman has found out she is pregnant but may also be introduced to them if there are infertility issues.
General activities may include:
Certified nurse-midwives must manage all the care a mother needs during pregnancy. They must be independent thinkers and be patient and compassionate.
They essentially care for two patients, the woman, and her infant, at the same time and support other family members in attendance at the birth.
They possess skills to:
Certified nurse-midwives often work in hospitals, community clinics, labor and delivery wards, and OB/GYN doctor’s offices but also birthing centers and even the U.S. armed forces.
Certified nurse-midwives care for women and teenagers of every socioeconomic level who need OB/GYN care, and they provide newborn care after delivery.
A CNM may go on and obtain a doctoral degree in nursing (likely honing in on a specific area within CNM nursing). These doctoral degrees are not to be confused for medical doctor degrees that physicians hold.
Certified nurse-midwives must be BCLS certified and renew their CNM license every five years. There are two options to choose from:
Option 1: AMCB Certificate Maintenance Module Method
Successfully complete three AMCB modules over the five-year certification cycle. One module must be completed in EACH of the three areas of practice: Antepartum and Primary Care of the Pregnant Woman; Intrapartum, Postpartum, and Newborn; and Gynecology and Primary Care for the Well-Woman. CNM must also obtain 20 contact hours in addition to the three modules
Option 2: Reexamination Method
Re-take the current AMCB Certification in the fourth to fifth year of the current certification cycle.
Certified nurse-midwives typically make between $97,852 - $145,145, with a median salary of $115,633, according to Salary.com.
The May 2021 Bureau of Labor and Statistics report shows which states have the highest and lowest wages for certified nurse-midwives. The highest-paid states are California, Utah, and West Virginia. The lowest-paid states are Idaho, Kansas, and Tennessee.
