Life As a Midwife

Job Description & Duties Provide prenatal care and childbirth assistance.

Daily Life Of a Midwife

• Refer patients to specialists for procedures such as ultrasounds or biophysical profiles.
• Maintain documentation of all patients’ contacts, reviewing and updating records as necessary.
• Recommend the use of vitamin and mineral supplements to enhance the health of patients and children.
• Assess the status of post-date pregnancies to determine treatments and interventions.
• Provide postpartum patients with contraceptive and family planning information.
• Evaluate patients’ laboratory and medical records, requesting assistance from other practitioners when necessary.

Midwife Needed Skills

Midwives state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Types of Midwives

• Homebirth Midwife
• Staff Midwife/Apprenticeship Director
• Staff Midwife at Birth Center, Certified Professional Midwife, Licensed Midwife
• Midwife and Birth Center Owner
• Licensed Midwife

Is There Job Demand for Midwives?

In the United States, there were 40,000 jobs for Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers in 2016.

New jobs are being produced at a rate of 12.6% which is lower than average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 5,000 new jobs for Midwives by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 2,600 job openings in this field each year.

The states with the most job growth for Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers are California, Tennessee, and Florida.

Watch out if you plan on working in Maine, Delaware, or Vermont. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

How Much Does a Midwife Make?

Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers Make between $28,500 and $111,740 a year. The median salary is $54,620.

How much do Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers make in different U.S. states?

Annual Mean Salary by State

State	Annual Mean Salary
New Jersey	$94,870
Maryland	$89,580
Connecticut	$86,040
District of Columbia	$81,770
Pennsylvania	$81,750
California	$74,900
New York	$74,750
Ohio	$69,920
Rhode Island	$69,790
Alaska	$69,370
Washington	$68,890
Massachusetts	$67,500
Hawaii	$66,670
New Hampshire	$66,080
Missouri	$66,010
Minnesota	$65,550
Georgia	$64,940
Illinois	$64,390
Idaho	$64,250
North Dakota	$63,290
Wyoming	$61,750
West Virginia	$61,190
Delaware	$59,750
Maine	$59,550
Tennessee	$59,530
Texas	$59,360
Colorado	$59,050
Oregon	$57,820
Nevada	$55,440
Kentucky	$55,430
Virginia	$55,410
Florida	$55,200
Kansas	$54,220
Louisiana	$54,140
Michigan	$52,990
North Carolina	$52,530
New Mexico	$52,040
Wisconsin	$52,040
Utah	$50,690
Montana	$49,820
South Carolina	$48,690
Arizona	$47,250
Iowa	$46,130
Oklahoma	$45,340
Arkansas	$42,180
Alabama	$41,660
Mississippi	$37,790
Indiana	$37,050

What Tools do Midwives Use?

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Midwives:

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• MEDITECH software
• Microsoft Word

How do I Become a Midwife?

Education needed to be a Midwife:

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where Midwives Work

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics

College Factual

O*NET Online

Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons