A midwife by definition is a person who assists women in childbirth. A midwife is required to complete the prescribed course of studies in midwifery and to acquire the necessary training to be registered and or legally licensed to practice midwifery. She must be able to give the essential supervision, care and advice to women during pregnancy, labor and the postpartum period. The midwife conducts a delivery on her own responsibility and cares for the newborn. All nurse-midwifery programs are within institutions of higher education. Roughly 70% of nurse-midwives graduate college at the Master’s degree level. Programs for midwifery have to be accredited by the American College of Nurse-Midwives ( ACNM ) in order for graduates to be qualified to take the national certification exam. There are currently 47 ACNM accredited nurse-midwifery programs in this country. You must be a registered nurse and have at least two years of experience before you apply for nurse-midwife programs.
A midwife must be able to provide an extensive range of healthcare services to the women and their newborns. Midwife duties include history taking, physical assessment, ordering appropriate...