How To Become A Certified Nurse Midwife

If you're looking for a career where you can work closely with pregnant women of all ages, supporting them, meeting their needs, and assisting with pregnancy through to postpartum care, you should become a certified nurse midwife (CNM).

What is a Certified Nurse Midwife?

A certified nurse midwife (CNM) is a career that revolves around women's health, with CNMs providing assistance with pregnancy, labor, and delivery.

It differs from the role of a certified midwife (CM). A CNM is a registered nurse who has graduated from a nurse-midwifery program. CMs are similarly skilled and focused, but they are not advanced practice registered nurses and haven't completed the same extensive training.

Both certified nurse midwives and certified midwives take certification exams before they practice.

What Do Certified Nurse Midwives Do?

Nurse midwives deal with many aspects of care concerning pregnancy, birth, and gynecological health.

It's often falsely assumed that CNMs work exclusively with pregnant women, but their roles and responsibilities extend to many areas of female healthcare.

For instance, a certified nurse midwife may provide assistance and education relating to contraception and birth control while also dealing with multiple aspects of gynecological health and preventative care. They can arrange treatments, make diagnoses, and even prescribe medications.

Certified nurse midwives also care for infants during the first few months of their lives.

How To Become a Certified Nurse Midwife

There are four steps to becoming a certified nurse midwife:

Step One: Complete a BSN at an Accredited School

The first step to becoming a nurse midwife is to complete a Bachelor's Degree through an accredited program. This will typically take four years, but it depends on whether or not you have any existing degrees or qualifications, as well as whether you study part-time or full-time.

Step Two: Complete the NCLEX-RN

After graduating, you can move onto the NCLEX-RN exam, completion of which will qualify you as a registered nurse.

Step Three: Get a Master's Degree or Doctoral Degree

The next step is to advance to a Master's or Doctoral Degree. This could take a couple of years to finish and depending on your education, you may need to complete a bridge program.

Step Four: Become a Certified Nurse Midwife

The final step is to get certified. Nurse midwifery certification is provided by the American Midwifery Certification Board. You must pass a national certification exam, and this will grant you a license to operate as a certified nurse midwife in all 50 states, including US territories.

How Long Does it Take to Become a Certified Nurse Midwife?

Becoming a certified nurse midwife is not something that happens overnight. After accounting for the Bachelor's Degree, registered nurse license, Master's Degree, and certification exam, it could take between 6 and 8 years to qualify.

Is a Midwife Higher than a Nurse?

Certified nurse midwives have completed similar training to other nurses, but this training is taken a step further by the addition of a Master's Degree or Doctoral Degree. The higher education requirement means they are more qualified.

Where Do Nurse Midwives Work?

Nurse midwives work in the following clinical settings:

• Hospitals
• Community Health Centers
• Birth Centers
• Primary Care Clinics

They may also work in areas specializing in research and education.

How Do I Become a Nurse Midwife in Canada?

Nurse midwives in Canada must complete a 4-year baccalaureate program. These are direct entry programs, which means they don't need any other credentials before they apply.

There are over half a dozen educational facilities offering these programs in Canada, including:

• McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario
• Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta
• Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario
• Université du Québec à Troise-Rivières in Trois-Rivières, Quebec
• University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia
• University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba

Where are Certified Nurse Midwives Needed?

There is a nursing shortage in the United States, and the need for healthcare professionals is growing every single year. The shortage has been evident for a number of years now, but it became even more of a concern after 2020. The stress of dealing with the pandemic forced many nurses away from the profession and placed an even greater strain on the healthcare system.

Like all healthcare professionals, nurse midwives worked through the chaos and placed their lives on the life to ensure that patients continued to get adequate care.

What's more, there are over 3.5 million babies born every year in the United States, and while fertility rates are dropping in many states, that's still a huge number of pregnant women and infants that need care.

A certified nurse midwife plays an important and active role in protecting the health of the next generation and so it will always be an essential profession.

The table below will give you an idea of the fertility rates across the United States, along with the rate of infant mortality.

State	Fertility Rate	Births	Infant Mortality	Deaths
Alabama	62.1	59,151	9.53	576
Alaska	76.1	11,209	5.93	62
Arizona	63.5	84,520	6.85	659
Arkansas	66.4	38,274	7.83	307
California	60.6	488,827	5.32	2,918
Colorado	59.3	66,613	6.44	444
Connecticut	53.4	36,015	5.85	244
Delaware	61.2	10,992	9.02	105
Florida	59.7	225,022	7.24	1,639
Georgia	61.1	130,042	8.07	1,148
Hawaii	67.6	18,059	6.58	118
Idaho	69.8	22,482	5.98	138
Illinois	60.6	154,445	7.38	1,322
Indiana	64.3	83,091	8.04	701
Iowa	66.9	39,403	5.44	214
Kansas	68.1	38,053	7.37	294
Kentucky	65.4	55,449	6.73	380
Louisiana	67.2	63,178	9.85	600
Maine	54.9	12,705	6.87	97
Maryland	61.3	73,136	7.3	547
Massachusetts	51.9	71,317	5.13	394
Michigan	60.5	113,315	7.89	1,007
Minnesota	66.1	69,749	5.09	361
Mississippi	63.7	337,928	11.46	486
Missouri	63.8	74,705	7.52	591
Montana	65.3	12,282	7.25	84
Nebraska	72.2	26,589	5.66	148
Nevada	62.6	36,260	5.66	211
New Hampshire	50.9	12,267	5.27	76
New Jersey	60.1	102,647	5.17	588
New Mexico	62.7	24,692	6.17	178
New York	58.6	234,283	5.82	1,433
North Carolina	60.3	120,779	8.81	1,085
North Dakota	77.3	11,383	5.96	50
Ohio	62.8	138,085	8.17	1,213
Oklahoma	68.4	52,592	7.95	412
Oregon	57	45.535	5.99	275
Pennsylvania	58.5	139,409	7.29	1,060
Rhode Island	51.8	10,798	6.46	82
South Carolina	59.9	57,342	9.46	546
South Dakota	77.7	12,275	6.98	80
Tennessee	62	80,807	8.77	717
Texas	68.6	398,047	6.55	2,526
Utah	76.2	50,464	4.52	233
Vermont	50.3	5,756	6.49	42
Virginia	61.1	102,460	7.47	781
Washington	63	90,505	5.07	419
West Virginia	58.2	19,079	8.16	170
Wisconsin	61.6	66,615	6.54	464
Wyoming	67.2	7,386	6.63	48

Date from the CDC (1) (2)

How Much Do Certified Nurse Midwives Make?

The median average salary for nurse midwives in the United States is $111.130, which equates to $53.43 per hour.

However, the top 10% earn an average of $86.43 an hour and $179.770 a year. Your salary as a certified nurse midwife is also dependent on your location, with residents of states like California earning significantly more than the national average.

The table below includes the latest certified nurse midwife salary data from the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics.

States	Hourly Wage	Annual Wage	Employment
Alabama	N/A	N/A	N/A
Alaska	43.55	90,580	50
Arizona	53.31	110,890	90
Arkansas	N/A	N/A	N/A
California	81.86	170,270	1010
Colorado	52.04	108,250	170
Connecticut	50.57	105,190	150
Delaware	46.46	96,640	40
District of Columbia	39.91	83,010	70
Florida	39.36	81,880	340
Georgia	44.50	92,560	420
Hawaii	N/A	N/A	N/A
Idaho	34.29	71,320	30
Illinois	51.50	107,120	300
Indiana	55.41	115,250	70
Iowa	47.70	99,210	40
Kansas	N/A	N/A	N/A
Kentucky	N/A	N/A	N/A
Louisiana	N/A	N/A	N/A
Maine	56.64	117,820	60
Maryland	50.82	105,710	220
Massachusetts	56.98	118,510	290
Michigan	51.09	106,270	350
Minnesota	58.88	122,470	230
Mississippi	59.78	124,350	N/A
Missouri	55.13	114,680	60
Montana	N/A	N/A	N/A
Nebraska	N/A	N/A	N/A
Nevada	N/A	N/A	N/A
New Hampshire	54.98	114,350	60
New Jersey	56.40	117,320	130
New Mexico	52.47	109,140	110
New York	57.33	119,250	460
North Carolina	49.68	103,340	170
North Dakota	N/A	N/A	N/A
Ohio	47.68	99,180	330
Oklahoma	N/A	N/A	N/A
Oregon	54.52	113,410	170
Pennsylvania	48.86	101,620	340
Rhode Island	52.33	108,840	40
South Carolina	N/A	N/A	N/A
South Dakota	N/A	N/A	N/A
Tennessee	46.33	96,360	70
Texas	50.82	105,710	280
Utah	69.59	144,750	90
Vermont	46.58	96,890	50
Virginia	N/A	N/A	290
Washington	55.04	114,480	110
West Virginia	61.62	128,170	40
Wisconsin	50.42	104,880	120
Wyoming	N/A	N/A	N/A