Nurse Midwife Job Description

Pregnancy can be one of the toughest yet delightful time in every woman's life. A pregnant women is surrounded by people who seem to give her an advice on something or the other all the time. And it is certainly overwhelming for a 'to be mother' to get confused by every one's suggestions and opinions & this is where a trained nurse midwife comes in to play.

Having a nurse midwife for assistance is very assuring as he or she can help pregnant women at every stage of their pregnancy, which is the primary role of a nurse midwife.

A midwife is not an alternative to a doctor or a gynecologist but she is necessary to monitor the constant emotional, physical, and mental state of the mother and the baby, which a doctor may not be able to provide. Apart from this, there are various tasks that a nurse midwife has to perform & to know more about them, you need to read the rest of the story.

The job description can vary as per the experience and work setting of the professionals. They can work with hospitals or private clinics, or any other health care industry setting. They can also practice independently on a case to case basis. But, whatever be the setting, their core duties and responsibilities remain the same.

They are as following:

• Educating pregnant women about pregnancy, childbirth, and prenatal and postnatal care, etc.

• Providing parenting and general health care education to pregnant women and their family members.
• Assisting women during labor and providing support during delivery.
• Suggesting the mother to undergo certain tests and screenings during the pregnancy.

• Analyzing the reports of different tests and informing the doctor or a gynecologist about the same.
• In an hospital setting, a nurse midwife has to identify high risk pregnancies and monitor them.

• Participating in professional development and training programs organized by the hospital.
• Monitoring whether pregnant women are taking their medicines and drugs as prescribed by the doctors.

• Monitoring the health condition of the fetus and its mother regularly.
• Networking and coordinating with other health care and social professionals to provide pregnant women with constant care.

• Informing mothers about the post delivery care, such as, caring for the baby, breastfeeding, preparing food for the baby, and cleaning and bathing the baby, etc.
• Providing women with counseling and answering their queries and doubts regarding pregnancy.

• In case of stillbirth, miscarriage, termination, or neonatal abnormality, nurse midwife is expected to provide emotional and moral support to women.

In short, a nurse midwife has to assist, monitor, and guide pregnant women throughout the childbirth process.

A midwife working independently, on a case to case basis, works more like a full-time care taker during pregnancy whereas, nurse midwife in hospital setting is like a usual nurse who gives timely guidance and support to mothers. Well, if you are ready to take up such a job then you need to meet certain prerequisites.

To get a job in the hospital, or to start working as a professional nurse midwife, you need to become a certified or licensed nurse, for which you need to hold a bachelor's degree in nursing. A licensed nurse may complete an advance diploma or degree in midwifery for added advantage.

The salary of a nurse midwife largely depends on her experience, educational qualification, prior experience, and the setting she is working with. But the average salary of a nurse midwife is around $115,000 which increases as the professional gains more knowledge and experience in the field.

Nursing is, no doubt, one of the most lucrative careers one can pursue, and nurse midwifery is again a niche area to master which can fetch you a lot of money, provided you have the passion and dedication for this profession.