How to Become a Nurse-Midwife

Certified nurse-midwives need a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in order to practice. You can begin certified nurse-midwife school with either a bachelor's degree in nursing (BSN), an associate's degree in nursing or bachelor's degree in a non-nursing field.

Typical entrance requirements for those who want to learn how to become a nurse-midwife include the following:

• Bachelor's degree in nursing from an accredited nursing school
• An active registered nursing license (RN) in the state where the school is located
• Some work experience in labor and delivery, generally up to a year
• Completion of the GRE with satisfactory score
• Completion of a statistics course with a satisfactory grade
• Letters of recommendation
• A statement of purpose describing why you want to become a certified nurse-midwife

Many certified nurse-midwife schools offer RN-to-MSN programs for nurses with a two-year associate's degree, and "direct entry" programs for students with bachelor's degrees in non-nursing fields who want to receive training on how to become a nurse-midwife.

Entrance requirements for these types of programs differ in a couple of ways. That is, if you choose an RN-to-MSN program, you won't need to have a bachelor's degree or to have taken the GRE. And students in "direct entry" programs who have a bachelor's degree in a non-nursing field won't need to have a nursing license.

Nurse midwifery courses focus on labor and delivery as well as women's health care topics that cover the lifespan. Midwifery courses that you can expect to take while learning how to become a certified nurse-midwife include these:

• Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology
• Advanced Practice Nursing Roles and Issues
• Applied Pharmacology
• Intrapartum/Postpartum care
• Management and Care of Newborns
• Professional Issues in Midwifery
• Public Policy Leadership
• Research Methods
• Women's Healthcare Topics

Additionally, midwifery courses will include a "clinical practicum" in which you will gain hands-on experience with patients going through labor and the delivery of a baby. Nurse-midwife schools may stipulate a minimum number of clinical practice hours that students must attain in order to graduate.

Certified nurse-midwives work in hospitals, birthing centers, physicians' offices, clinics, health departments and in private practice. Further, many play roles in helping advance legislation and public policies that contribute to the health and welfare of mothers, babies and families.

Depending on the mother's requests and the circumstances of the delivery, nurse-midwives might work independently, providing all the necessary care and treatment to a patient through the course of pregnancy, labor and delivery. Alternatively, a certified nurse-midwife might work in tandem with obstetricians and other members of a health care team to ensure a safe delivery and to teach mothers how to care for a newborn.

In general, programs that teach you how to become a nurse-midwife take 24 months to complete for full-time students. However, program lengths will vary from school to school.

If you decide to take midwifery courses on a part-time basis, you will likely finish in three to four years. Bear in mind, though, that many schools will require you to complete your training on how to become a certified nurse-midwife within a certain number of years. Before you select a program, be sure that you understand the time to degree requirements for each school you are considering.
_{Sources:
Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010
ACNM.org, 2010
University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing, 2010
Oregon University, School of Health and Science, 2010}