NURSE MIDWIFE


Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM) work in collaboration with at least one physician. They provide preconception, maternity and postpartum care for women at low-risk for complications during pregnancy. Some also provide "well-woman" care, which includes gynecological services, such as pelvic and breast exams, Pap smears and family planning. Nurse-midwives view birth as a natural, normal process that does not necessarily require medical/technical intervention; however, advanced technology is available if the need arises. CNMs focus on a continuum of care for women from adolescence through the post-menopausal years. They promote health education, disease prevention and personal involvement in health care decisions. Nurse-midwives typically spend more time with patients and get to know patients better than most obstetricians and gynecologists. CNMs in Kentucky have prescriptive authority, but may not prescribe controlled substances.

Education

CNMs are registered nurses who have completed advance training, averaging one and one-half years, either in an accredited certificate program or increasingly at the masters level.

Registration/Certification/Licensure

There are still "lay" midwives who train as apprentices with no formal education and often work outside traditional health care systems. However, most midwives in the United States today are certified nurse-midwives, having graduated from a program accredited by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) and passed a national certification exam administered by the ACNM. In Kentucky, nurse-midwives are licensed by the Kentucky Board of Nursing and the practice is regulated by the Kentucky Board of Nursing in accord with the Standards for the Practice of Nurse-Midwifery, as defined by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

Salary

$40,000-70,000

Employment Opportunities

CNMs work in private practices, health departments, birthing centers and hospitals. Some midwives attend home births in a safe environment, but most CNMs do not oversee home births, usually for liability reasons.

Programs

Frontier School of Midwifery & Family Nursing, Hyden, KY
Certificate Program (MSN and ND options available through Case-Western Reserve University)		 (606) 672-2312
Vanderbilt Nurse Midwifery Program (MSN) School of Nursing, Room 226, Godchax Hall, Nashville, TN 37240 (615) 322-3800

Professional Association

American College of Nurse-Midwives
818 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20006
202-728-9860

Last updated:  June 26, 2001