Midwife Myths: Uncovering the Real Nurse Midwife

Nurse-Midwifery has been practiced in the United States since the 1920's, and Nurse Midwives deliver about 1 out of every 10 infants, according to the American College of Nurse Midwives. Yet, the general public still has a distorted impression of what the role of a Nurse Midwife entails. Even if you are a nursing professional, you may not have an accurate picture of this specialized nursing occupation. Here are the top three Nurse Midwife myths:

1. Nurse Midwives just deliver babies

When you hear the word midwife, does your mind immediately conjure up an image of a woman giving birth? Although caring for birthing women and their newborns is a core aspect of a midwife’s job, it only accounts for about 10% of a Certified Nurse Midwife's working time. The rest of their time might be spent providing gynecological care, such as annual check ups, reproductive health counseling, and menopausal care visits. Most patients who visit a certified nurse midwife do so to receive primary and preventive care.

A Nurse Midwife is an advanced practice nurse with additional training around delivering babies and providing prenatal and postpartum care to women. Nurse Midwives are credited with having a key role in reducing the maternal and infant death rate and having a positive impact on women's health not just during pregnancy, but throughout the lifespan. Women, children, and families are living better lives thanks to the work of Nurse Midwives.

2. Nurse Midwives are only for home births

Many people equate midwife-assisted births with home births or all-natural births. In fact, the majority of midwives deliver babies in hospitals, according to family-nurse practitioner Julie Stackhouse at Parkview Women’s Clinic. In previous years, women who wanted a more comfortable and supportive setting for their births opted against the clinical atmosphere of a hospital. Now, however, many hospitals have caught up to women’s preferences, and mothers who choose nurse midwives are likely to enjoy their services in a hospital setting or birthing center. Only 1% of midwife–assisted births occur at home.

3. Nurse midwives are doctor substitutes

Some women are under the impression that using a midwife means declining the services of a physician. However, nurse midwives typically work as part of a health care team that includes physicians. When nurse midwives and physicians collaborate effectively, women receive a balance of personalized primary and preventive care and specialized services. A skilled nurse midwife can reduce the necessity for high-tech interventions and is able to diagnose and treat patients, but will refer patients to specialists when it’s necessary.

Becoming a Nurse-Midwife

If you feel drawn to this rewarding and satisfying nursing career, you will need to complete a nationally accredited program and then pass the national certification exam. By the beginning of 2010, completion of a graduate degree will be required for nurses who wish to enter clinical practice as nurse midwives. The entrance requirements for various programs differ: nearly all require the applicant be licensed as a registered nurse and be a graduate of an accredited BSN program or hold a BS with a major in Nursing.

Because of the small faculty-to-student ratio necessary to train high-quality midwives, most Nurse-Midwife programs can accept only a few new students each year. Waiting lists at traditional universities are long, and rejections are not uncommon. Many dedicated nurses with a vocation for midwifery are solving this dilemma by choosing online degree programs at accredited institutions. Online programs have no waiting lists, so you don’t need to put your dreams on hold.

Career options for certified nurse midwives

As a Nurse Midwife, you can take your pick of a variety of employment settings, including hospitals, birth centers, health clinics, private practice and home birth services. In addition to clinical practice, you can put your expertise to good use in education by teaching at schools of nursing, public health, or medicine. Nurse Midwives also enjoy the autonomy of being able to open their own nurse-midwifery practice in a community, birth center or hospital. Many nurse midwives also conduct clinical research and take active roles in domestic and global health care policy and legislative affairs.

The Nurse-Midwifery specialty is for nurses who share a special bond with women. This is a steadily growing nursing specialty with more and more women choosing to use Nurse Midwives as an alternative to the traditional medical model of care. If you want to make a real and lasting difference in the lives of women, children, and families-and have a positive influence on health outcomes-becoming a Nurse Midwife might be exactly what you've been looking for.

Become a Nurse Midwife Online

Achieve the education you need to turn your nursing career dreams into reality. Explore featured accredited online Nurse Midwifery programs and request additional information directly from any of our featured schools. Applicants must be licensed as a registered nurse and be a graduate of an accredited BSN program or hold a BS with a major in Nursing to be eligible: Search All Online Nurse Midwife Programs

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Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing

The Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing offers online Masters of Science in Nursing degrees, post-master's certificates leading to education as a certified nurse-midwife, family nurse practitioner, and/or a women's health nurse practitioner, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) which is considered to be the highest degree for clinical nursing practice.

• RN to MSN - Nurse-Midwifery
• RN to MSN - Women's Health Nurse Practitioner
• RN to MSN - Women's Health Nurse Practitioner
• MSN - Nurse-Midwifery
• MSN - Women's Health Nurse Practitioner
• Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

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University of Cincinnati

The University of Cincinnati College of Nursing makes it possible for you to earn your Master of Science in Nursing – in several Nurse Practitioner specialties - online. Courses are designed and delivered by highly qualified and nationally respected faculty. A faculty facilitator moderates weekly online sessions for students to enhance collegial learning, dialogue and support.

• MSN - Psychiatric Nurse Specialist
• MSN - Clinical Nurse Specialist
• MSN - Adult Nurse Practitioner
• MSN - Family Nurse Practitioner
• Master of Science in Nursing - Nurse Midwifery
• MSN - Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner

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