Health Care Team (HCT)
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Certified Nurse-Midwife/Certified Midwife
- Focuses on pregnancy, childbirth, the postpartum period, care of the newborn, family planning, and the gynecologic needs of women.
- Provides compassionate, family-centered care that is culturally appropriate.
- Manages labor and delivery, writes orders, and prescribes medications.
- Advocates for non-intervention in the absence of complications.
- A Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) has been educated in nursing and midwifery; a Certified Midwife (CM) is not a nurse, but has met the same standards for midwifery education and certification.
- Practices independently and works with physicians.
- Patients self select midwifery care, or may be referred by physicians/other health care providers.
Certified Midwives are primary health care providers who focus on pregnancy, childbirth, the postpartum period, care of the newborn, and the family planning and gynecologic needs of women. Certified Midwives consult with, collaborate with, or refer to physicians as indicated by the health status of the patient.
High quality midwifery practice is defined by the The American College of Nurse-Midwives’ Standards for the Practice of Midwifery and Core Competencies for Basic Midwifery Practice.
Certified Midwives independently manage women’s health care. Their practice is different from that of women’s health or obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) nurse practitioner. In addition to the primary women’s health care that women’s health or OB/GYN nurse practitioners provide, Midwives have the ability to manage labor and delivery, write orders, and prescribe medications. Some Midwives have expanded their scope of practice to serve as first surgical assistant at cesarean sections, as well as perform circumcisions, colposcopy, ultrasonography, and other procedures. In addition to clinical practice, Midwives are members of university faculty in medical, nursing, and nurse midwifery education programs. They also work in public health fields.
A Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) has been educated in the two disciplines of nursing and midwifery; a Certified Midwife (CM) is not a nurse but has met the same standards for midwifery education and certification as the CNM. The certification of a CNM/CM is conferred through a national examination and verified by the American Midwifery Certification Board. To obtain certification, applicants must successfully complete a graduate program in midwifery from one of 40 schools of midwifery accredited by the The American College of Nurse-Midwives Division of Accreditation and pass a national certification examination. Beginning in 2010, entry into clinical practice will require completion of a master’s or doctoral degree.
Certified Midwives practice independently and work collaboratively with physicians to provide the best possible health care to all women.
Certified Midwives in clinical practice see patients during office hours; cover postpartum rounds; take call for labor and delivery; triage patients who come in for evaluation; and manage antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum delivery of patients in their caseload. In addition, they often teach nurses, student nurses, residents, and midwifery students.
A Certified Midwife must be certified nationally by the American Midwifery Certification Board and must be licensed by the state in which care is given. Certified Nurse-Midwives are licensed in all 50 states. Certified Midwives are licensed in three states: New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.
All females can benefit from the care of a Midwife.
Patients self select midwifery care or may be referred by physicians or other health care providers.
Contributed by:
Leslie Ludka, MSN, CNM, and Lorrie Kline Kaplan, American College of Nurse-Midwives
