Career Details
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Career Details

29-1161.00 - Nurse Midwives


Diagnose and coordinate all aspects of the birthing process, either independently or as part of a healthcare team. May provide well-woman gynecological care. Must have specialized, graduate nursing education.


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
1
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
5,300
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
6,600
Estimate
Change in Employment
+1,300
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+24.6%
Estimate
Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • Educate patients and family members regarding prenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, newborn, or interconception care.
  • Provide prenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, or newborn care to patients.
  • Document patients' health histories, symptoms, physical conditions, or other diagnostic information.
  • Monitor fetal development by listening to fetal heartbeat, taking external uterine measurements, identifying fetal position, or estimating fetal size and weight.
  • Perform physical examinations by taking vital signs, checking neurological reflexes, examining breasts, or performing pelvic examinations.
  • Consult with or refer patients to appropriate specialists when conditions exceed the scope of practice or expertise.
  • Develop and implement individualized plans for health care management.
  • Document findings of physical examinations.
  • Explain procedures to patients, family members, staff members or others.
  • Initiate emergency interventions to stabilize patients.
  • Provide primary health care, including pregnancy and childbirth, to women.
  • Order and interpret diagnostic or laboratory tests.
  • Prescribe medications as permitted by state regulations.
  • Provide patients with direct family planning services, such as inserting intrauterine devices, dispensing oral contraceptives, and fitting cervical barriers, including cervical caps or diaphragms.
  • Write information in medical records or provide narrative summaries to communicate patient information to other health care providers.
  • Conduct clinical research on topics such as maternal or infant health care, contraceptive methods, breastfeeding, and gynecological care.
  • Establish practice guidelines for specialty areas such as primary health care of women, care of the childbearing family, and newborn care.
  • Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in midwifery.
  • Plan, provide, or evaluate educational programs for nursing staff, health care teams, or the community.
  • Instruct student nurse midwives, medical students, or residents on the birthing process.
Supplemental
  • Manage newborn care during the first weeks of life.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
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Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 Medicine and Dentistry
  • 96%
    Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
 Psychology
  • 87%
    Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
 Customer and Personal Service
  • 84%
    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
 English Language
  • 84%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Biology
  • 81%
    Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
 Sociology and Anthropology
  • 76%
    Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
 Therapy and Counseling
  • 75%
    Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
 Education and Training
  • 73%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
 Mathematics
  • 62%
    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
 Law and Government
  • 61%
    Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
 Computers and Electronics
  • 58%
    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
 Chemistry
  • 58%
    Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
 Administration and Management
  • 56%
    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
 Public Safety and Security
  • 55%
    Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
 Clerical
  • 53%
    Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
 Personnel and Human Resources
  • 53%
    Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
 Communications and Media
  • 52%
    Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
 Philosophy and Theology
  • 52%
    Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
 Foreign Language
  • 50%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
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Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Surgical clamps and forceps and surgical ligators and related instruments
  • Allis clamps
  • Mosquito forceps
  • Obstetrical forceps
  • Ring forceps
  • Tissue forceps
  • Umbilical cord clamps
 Medical weight scales
  • Baby scales
  • Medical scales
 Resuscitation supplies
  • Bag valve mask BVM resuscitators
 Syringes and accessories
  • Blood drawing syringes
  • Bulb syringes
  • Hypodermic syringes
 Floor grade instruments
  • Curved forceps
  • Curved hemostats
  • Straight hemostats
 Medical thermometers and accessories
  • Digital medical thermometers
 Surgical cutting instruments and snares and related products
  • Episiotomy scissors
  • Surgical scissors
  • Umbilical cord scissors
 Specimen collection and transport containers and supplies
  • Evacuated blood collection containers
  • Lancets
  • Specimen collection containers
  • Tourniquets
 Medical ultrasound and doppler and echo imaging products
  • Fetal doppler units
  • Vaginal ultrasound probes
 Oxygen therapy delivery systems and devices
  • Infant oxygen masks
  • Oxygen concentrators
  • Oxygen delivery masks
  • Oxygen flowmeters
  • Oxygen nasal cannulae
 Computers
  • Laptop computers
  • Personal computers
  • Personal digital assistants PDA
 Electrotherapy equipment
  • Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation TENS equipment
 Urological supplies
  • Urinary catheters
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
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Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Industry specific software
  • Acrendo Medical Software Ob/Gyn EMR
  • Allscripts Professional EHR
  • Amkai AmkaiCharts
  • Bizmatics PrognoCIS EMR
  • Cerner Millennium
  • ChartWare EMR
  • digiChart OB-GYN
  • e-MDs software
  • eClinicalWorks
  • GE Healthcare Centricity EMR
  • Greenway Medical Technologies PrimeSUITE
  • Medscribbler Enterprise
  • MicroFour PracticeStudio.NET EMR
  • NextGen Healthcare Information Systems EMR
  • Practice Partner Total Practice Partner
  • Prognosis Innovation Healthcare ChartAccess
  • SOAPware EMR
  • StatCom Patient Flow Logistics Enterprise Suite
  • SynaMed EMR
  • Texas Medical Software SpringCharts EMR
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
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Certifications
FastForward at Virginia's Community Colleges is a short-term training program for high-demand industries, like healthcare, information technology, and skilled trades and infrastructure, helping Virginians get the jobs and salaries they need. Our goal is to get you trained, help you earn your certification, and get you into a career that can support you and your family. Explore the latest training program offerings by visiting FastForward
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
 Specialty
 Advanced
 Core
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
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Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
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Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.
INSTITUTION
PROGRAMS
Randolph-Macon College