Nurse-Midwives
Certified
Nurse-Midwives (CNMs)
The practice
of nurse-midwifery was established in the United States in the 1920s by such
early leaders as Mary Breckinridge and Hattie Hemschemeyer;
since then nurse-midwives have been recognized for their contributions to
reducing infant and maternal mortality, premature births, and low birth weight
rates. Their skills as primary care providers are evidenced by their low rates
of infant mortality, cesarean birth, episiotomy, and use of epidural anesthesia
and their high rates of success in vaginal birth after cesarean. These facts
are made more impressive when considering that 70% of women who receive care
from nurse-midwives are considered vulnerable to poor health outcomes by virtue
of age, socioeconomic status, education, ethnicity or location of residence.
Women,
children, and families have better lives because of the work of certified nurse
midwives.
Caring for
women during labor and birth is a centerpiece of the professional experience of
many certified nurse-midwives. There are, however, a variety of career options
for CNMs from clinical practice, education,
administration or research to involvement in policy and legislative affairs. .
- You can provide primary health care to women for comprehensive
gynecologic and maternity care and have the responsibility and
accountability for your practice.
- You can use your knowledge and skills to help women to realize
personal fulfillment with their labor and birth. Also, through the art of
midwifery you reduce the need for high-tech interventions for most women.
But, when necessary, you are trained to make the latest in safe scientific
procedures available to assist a normal birth process.
- You can share your professional health care abilities by teaching
at a university in schools of nursing, public health, medicine, and allied
health.
- You can conduct clinical research on such key topics as the safety,
health benefits and cost-effectiveness of non-medical and medical
interventions; maternal and infant health care; HIV/AIDS; new
contraceptive methods; breast-feeding; and gynecological care.
- You will have the authority in most states to write prescriptions
for many of the medications and health care products needed in your
practice.
- You can become active in local and national legislative affairs and
be a policy maker for health care reform.
- You can empower women to take more active roles in making decisions
about their health care and lifestyle habits.
- You can play a key role in reducing the maternal and infant death
rate in this country and in the world.
- You can use your business and administrative skills in directing a
nurse-midwifery practice in a community, birth center or hospital.
- You will have the opportunity to work in
collegial relationships with physicians, nursing specialists, and other
health care professionals.