Midwifery Studies - Midwifery Programs
by Amanda Fornecker
 

Midwifery

  consists of helping a woman through childbirth. Midwives tend to be experts in their field of women's health care and specialize in prenatal care. These certified experts not only attend the birth of a child, but will also provide a new mother with postpartum care. Midwives are different than obstetricians because the latter is trained to deal with illnesses related to childbearing and surgery.

What You'll Learn
At midwifery school, students will learn how to first recognize problems and then how to deal with these deviations from normal procedures. They must take many science and math classes. Furthermore, in midwifery school, students learn how to work effectively with patients and may take classes on bedside manner.

Degree Types
Midwifery degrees vary depending on the type of curriculum a student chooses to pursue. A licensed midwife can only practice in 11 states in the United States. These students attend midwifery school and then sit for their licensing exam. There are also certified-nurse midwives who typically earn a four-year nursing degree before they enter midwifery school for their master's degree and can work anywhere throughout the United States.

Career Paths
Licensed midwives usually work in private practices or within birthing centers, sometimes delivering babies within an expectant mother's home. Certified-nurse midwives work in hospitals and clinics and must already have either a nursing degree or experience working as a registered nurse.

Job Outlook
Certified-nurse midwives are more likely to get jobs in nursing because of their specific specialty. These are also more likely to be in demand in inner cities and rural areas, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Licensing and Accreditation Information
Midwifery is regulated by each individual state of the United States. Some states require specific licensing exams, while others may require solely a midwifery certificate. For more information on licensing and accreditation for midwifery, check out http;//www.midwife.org.

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I want to know about schools that offer this program. Thanks.
by gemma miranda submitted on Jun 18, 2008

Hi Gemma, Thanks for your interest. The field of midwifery is certainly an exciting, growing field. Right now, SpaBeautySchools.com is partnered with one school that offers a master's level program in midwifery: University of Cincinnati Online. We will keep you posted on others. Thanks, and good luck to you! Best, Gina LaGuardia Editorial Director
by Gina LaGuardia submitted on Jun 30, 2008



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