THE WORLD IS CHANGING RAPIDLY, SO ARE HEALTH CARE CAREERS

Home About Us Our Sponsors Careers Education Employers Labor Market Info Important Links Downloads Contact Us		Certified Nurse Midwife  (Nursing) DID YOU KNOW?   (click for more) DID YOU KNOW?   (click to hide) Certified Nurse Midwife - Did-You-Know: 1. Data collection of positive birth outcomes (as good if not better) has been critical in support of our specialty in comparison to medical or obstetrician care in regards to politics, insurance, as well as patient interest. 2. Technology is used in day-to-day health care. 3. Simulation is frequently used when learning advanced, high risk skills in this profession (i.e. hand maneuvers for birth, interpretation of fetal heart rate tracings, steps to take during emergencies). How is technology impacting any of the following areas in the Certified Nurse Midwife field? 1. Education: Simulation allows for practice before being in a high risk situation. Use of the digital library allows for educational sources at the fingertips of students and faculty. More textbooks are now available in a PDA format to allow sources to be immediately available in class or in the clinical setting. On line testing to allow flexibility for students is increasingly used. 2. Research: A variety of data collection tools have resulted in an explosion of clinical research possibilities. 3. Direct patient care: Patients are more technology savvy, so clinicians have to meet them in that way – i.e. setting up systems to allow patients to make appointments on line or ask questions of their provider on line. Having quick access to on-line sources keep clinicians the most up-to-date and allow for patient education material to available. 4. Administrative issues: The use of technology allow a increasingly sophisticated evaluation of budgets and financial assessment of practices. Benchmarking practice statistics against other practices locally or nationally is possible now and allows for an advanced quality improvement program. 5. Any other area you deem important: Our national organization has a web site that facilitates location of nurse-midwifery practices for the public, educational material for patients and potential employers, and uses technology to encourage communication between midwives (i.e. a variety of electronic discussion lists). DESCRIPTION OF WORK: A Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)is an advanced practice nurse with specialized training in delivering babies and providing prenatal and postpartum care to women. Nurse midwives are very involved in labor and delivery. They are trained to recognize signs and symptoms that deviate from normal conditions and will consult with a physician who may become involved in the delivery if needed. They are qualified to administer drugs and perform medical procedures. In addition, nurse-midwives provide family planning and birth control counseling, and normal gynecological services such as: physical and breast exams, pap smears, and preventive health screening. In most states, nurse-midwives may prescribe medications. Mean average salary for this position is $78,505(according to Salary.com). WHERE EMPLOYED: CNMs work in hospitals, clinics, birthing centers, health departments, private practices, usually in collaboration with physicians. PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS: Must enjoy working with women and babies. Must be able to identify and solve problems, and should be comfortable working independently. Must be flexible and capable of working long hours and non-traditional schedules. ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS: Educational requirements vary somewhat from state to state. In Tennessee, a master’s degree is required. A bachelor`s degree is required prior to entry into nurse-midwifery educational programs. The graduate work lasts from one to three years. National certification is required for CNMs in most states. The American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM) rules state that only graduates of ACNM accredited programs are eligible to take the certification exams for CNMs. EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS: The American College of Nurse Midwives - http://www.acnm.org/ Educational program types for this career. EMPLOYERS: Potential employers for this career. LAST UPDATED: 9/9/2007 - Update Current status - Active
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