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Hospitals & Health Systems
HCA Healthcare, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic
Nurse Midwives
Nurse midwives care for patients through pregnancy, labor, birth, postpartum recovery, and common gynecologic needs. The job stands out because it mixes hands-on clinical care with a lot of independent judgment, but the tradeoff is that you have to know exactly when a case is beyond your scope and needs an obstetric specialist.
Also known as Certified Nurse MidwifeCertified Nurse-MidwifeNurse-MidwifeCNMStaff Midwife
Median Salary
$128,790
Mean $128,110
U.S. Workforce
~8K
0.5K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+11.1%
8.6K to 9.5K
Entry Education
Master's degree
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Nurse Midwives sits in the Healthcare category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~8K workers, with a median annual pay of $128,790 and roughly 0.5K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to grow from 8.6 K in 2024 to 9.5K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with Master's degree in nurse midwifery, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Labor and Delivery Nurse and can progress toward Midwifery Lead. High-value skills usually include Obstetric Assessment & Prenatal Screening, Electronic Health Records (Epic, Cerner & Athenahealth), and Labor, Delivery & Postpartum Care Protocols, paired with soft skills such as Active Listening, Critical Thinking, and Social Perceptiveness.
Core Responsibilities
- Talk with patients and families about what to expect during pregnancy, delivery, recovery, and newborn care.
- Examine patients and record symptoms, medical history, exam findings, and other chart details.
- Build care plans that fit each patient’s needs, from prenatal visits to postpartum follow-up and contraception.
- Watch for warning signs during pregnancy or labor and bring in an obstetrician or other specialist when a case needs more advanced care.
Keep exploring: more Healthcare careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Talk with patients and families about what to expect during pregnancy, delivery, recovery, and newborn care.
02 Examine patients and record symptoms, medical history, exam findings, and other chart details.
03 Build care plans that fit each patient’s needs, from prenatal visits to postpartum follow-up and contraception.
04 Watch for warning signs during pregnancy or labor and bring in an obstetrician or other specialist when a case needs more advanced care.
05 Teach breastfeeding, newborn care, and postpartum self-care in plain language patients can use at home.
06 Review clinical evidence and update practice guidelines so care stays aligned with current maternal and infant health research.
Industries That Hire
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OB/GYN Practices & Women's Health Clinics
Axia Women's Health, Unified Women’s Healthcare, Kaiser Permanente
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Academic Medical Centers
Johns Hopkins Medicine, Stanford Health Care, Mass General Brigham
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Community Health & Nonprofit Clinics
Planned Parenthood, El Rio Health, Salud Family Health Centers
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Telehealth & Virtual Women's Health
Maven Clinic, Tia, Oula
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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The pay is strong, with a median annual wage of $128,790, which is much higher than many other nursing jobs.
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Growth looks solid: employment is projected to rise 11.1% by 2034, with about 0.5K annual openings.
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You get direct, long-term contact with patients instead of quick one-off visits, so you can see care through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum recovery.
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The role combines clinical decision-making with education, so the work is varied rather than repetitive.
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There is no on-the-job training requirement, so once you finish the education and licensing path, you can move straight into practice.
Challenges
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The education path is long and expensive, because the typical entry point is a master’s degree and there is no on-the-job training.
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The work can be physically and emotionally intense, especially when births happen overnight or when a routine case suddenly turns urgent.
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Scope-of-practice rules vary by state, so the amount of independence you have can change depending on where you work.
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The occupation is relatively small, with only 8,280 workers now and about 0.5K annual openings, so jobs may be concentrated in certain areas and hard to find locally.
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Documentation and liability pressure are constant, because small errors in charting, triage, or referral decisions can affect both patient safety and legal risk.
Career Progression
Labor and Delivery Nurse
0-4 years
$75K-$98K
This feeder role builds experience with childbirth support, patient education, and hospital routines before advanced practice training.
Nurse Midwife
4-8 years
$110K-$145K
At this level, you manage routine prenatal and postpartum care, support labor and birth, and refer complicated cases when needed.
Senior Nurse Midwife THIS ROLE
8-12 years
$145K-$170K
More experienced midwives take on higher-risk scheduling, mentor newer clinicians, and handle a larger share of complex patient counseling.
Midwifery Lead
12+ years
$170K-$200K
Leads help shape protocols, supervise care quality, and coordinate midwifery services across a clinic, hospital unit, or health system.
Education Paths
Master's degree in nurse midwifery
The main entry route, held by 81.25% of workers in this role.
Post-master's certificate in nurse midwifery
A common alternate route for already-licensed nurses with graduate training; 15.62% of workers are listed in this category.
Post-baccalaureate certificate in nurse midwifery
A smaller bridge pathway for nurses who start with a bachelor's degree, used by 3.12% of workers.
Key Skills
Technical
Obstetric Assessment & Prenatal Screening 86%
Electronic Health Records (Epic, Cerner & Athenahealth) 84%
Labor, Delivery & Postpartum Care Protocols 83%
Care Planning & Clinical Documentation 82%
Triage, Referral & Scope-of-Practice Judgment 81%
Clinical Research Methods & Evidence-Based Practice 78%
Soft Skills
Active ListeningCritical ThinkingSocial PerceptivenessSpeakingReading ComprehensionMonitoring Job Outlook and Trends
+11.1%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
0.5K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 8.6K to 9.5 K over the next decade, representing 11.1% growth. Around 0.5 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Rare. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.