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Job Title: Nurse-Midwife
Type of Company: I work at a community hospital in a city.
Education: BA in English, University of Pittsburgh •• AD in nursing, Community College of Allegheny County •• Certificate in Nurse-midwifery, University of Arizona
Previous Experience: I worked as a labor and delivery nurse for three years. Then I went to school to become a nurse-midwife. I worked at St Margaret's Hospital and Quincy Hospital as a midwife before taking a job as a midwife at the hospital where I now work.
Job Tasks: My primary responsibility is providing health care to pregnant women. My days can be quite different and exciting. On some days, I provide prenatal care to pregnant women and gynecological care to non-pregnant women in a medical office. I see about 20 women a day. I exam the woman, order laboratory tests, answer questions, and provide information about her pregnancy. I get to know a pregnant woman and her family over the many months of her pregnancy. I have taken care of some women for many years and through several pregnancies.
On other days, I take care of women in labor, deliver babies, and take care of women who just had a baby much like an obstetrician does. I work in a hospital and a birth center. On a day when I am working on a labor and delivery, I work a twelve hour shift. I come in either at 8 am or 8 pm. I am in charge of any women in my practice who comes to the hospital during that 12 hours. Some days I deliver three babies. Some days I don't deliver any babies, but I might spend many hours helping a new mother learn to breastfeed.
Best and Worst Parts of the Job: The best part of my job is delivering a baby, and seeing a new family experience one of the most exciting moments of their life. I get to share in this amazing moment.
The worst part of my job is having to give bad news to a pregnant woman when I get test results that indicate that her baby has a major health problem or is dead.
Job Tips:
1. Make sure that you have the ability to work in stressful situations where a woman and her baby are in your hands.
2. Midwives have a schedule where you might work all night, and you will work some weekends and holidays. Be prepared for a difficult schedule.
3. The schooling usually involves a masters degree in nursing. I don't have a masters degree in nursing, but I graduated 25 years ago before it was necessary.
Additional Thoughts: I love my job. I think that working as a midwife is a wonderful profession.
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