Steps to Become a Midwife

Midwives provide health care services for women, particularly pregnant women. They provide prenatal care, attend births and provide postpartum and newborn care. In addition, they often provide routine gynecological care and offer family planning services to women. While many women in the U.S. see obstetricians, gynecologists or other physicians for these health care needs, more and more choose to receive care from midwives these days. The education and training of midwives varies but most are highly trained, skilled health care providers.

Education

• The education of midwives varies widely. Certified nurse-midwives earn a bachelor's degree in the science of nursing and then go on to earn a graduate degree in nurse-midwifery. Non-nurse midwives (also known as direct entry midwives) may attend college or a school of midwifery to study midwifery or they may simply apprentice with an experienced midwife.

Subjects Studied

• Midwifery students typically study subjects like anatomy and physiology, normal pregnancy and birth, common complications of pregnancy and birth, nutrition, pharmacology and psychology. They study newborn care as well. Depending on the scope of their future practice, midwifery students may learn how to suture, to prescribe and administer medications and perform other medical procedures.

Experience

• Nurse-midwifery graduate programs sometimes require nurses entering the program to have experience working as registered nurses in labor and delivery. Some states that license non-nurse midwives require them to have a certain amount of experience attending births before becoming eligible for licensure. Whether experience is required for graduate school or licensure or not, midwifery students generally gain valuable experience as part of the educational process. They begin by observing births and then take on a more active role as their education progresses.

Licensure

• Certified nurse-midwives must first pass the NCLEX-RN exam to become licensed to practice as registered nurses. They must then pass the examination offered by the American Midwifery Certification Board to become certified to practice midwifery. In some states, non-nurse midwives must obtain licensure or certification from the state. In others, licensure is not required. See the link in the Resources section to find the current licensure requirements for non-nurse midwives in your state.

Legality

• The legality of midwifery varies from state to state. Certified nurse-midwives can legally practice in all 50 states. In some states, non-nurse midwives can also practice legally. In some states non-nurse midwives must become licensed by the state but in other states they are not regulated in any way. In some states, non-nurse midwives cannot legally practice and may face legal charges for attending births. If you want to become a midwife, you should first investigate the legality of midwifery in the state in which you wish to practice.