Nurse-Midwife Salary and Job Outlook

Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) help ensure the safe, secure delivery of newborns into the world. CNMs provide healthcare services for women who are preparing to become mothers or already are mothers.

Without direction or supervision, pregnancy can become dangerous and even life-threatening, making the role of the nurse-midwife all the more vital. Certified Nurse-Midwives help women through all stages of pregnancy, from before conception to after childbirth. Some major aspects of nurse-midwifery include:

• Family planning: Helping couples and single mothers plan new additions to their families
• Preconception care: Helping women prepare to conceive in a healthy and safe way
• Prenatal care: Treating and preventing health problems in women while they are pregnant
• Delivery: Helping women safely give birth without complications
• Postpartum care: Helping women’s bodies recover from the strain of childbirth
• Newborn care: Educating new mothers on how to take care of their newborn children

Pregnancy and childbirth is also often a harrowing emotional experience for women. CNMs provide support and encouragement for women throughout their relationship, ensuring they are on the right path and doing the right things to ensure a successful delivery.

Before becoming a nurse-midwife, nursing students must complete various education requirements. These often include:

• Becoming a registered nurse (RN)
• Completing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
• Completing a Nurse-Midwifery degree program recognized by the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME)

A nurse-midwifery program teaches students many different facets of treatment and care unique to the CNM profession, including:

• Fetal anatomy and physiology
• Antepartum care
• Intrapartum care
• Pharmacokinetics
• Pharmacotherapeutics
• Advanced women’s health

The final step is to complete certification from the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB).

Professional development for CNMs doesn’t end at certification, though. Certified Nurse-Midwives must complete continuing education units (CEUs) throughout employment. These CEUs prove that practitioners are learning new methods and trends in their field, equipping them with the skills necessary to provide the best, most up-to-date treatment possible for their patients.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean annual salary for nurse-midwives in 2016 was $102,390. The BLS also provides a percentile breakdown of nurse-midwife earnings:

Highest Paying States for CNMs

Where do Certified Nurse-Midwives earn the highest salaries? According to the most recent data by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) and BLS, the top-paying states for CNMs are:

CNM Job Outlook

Nurse-midwives are also projected to be one of the fastest growing specialty nursing occupations over the next decade. The BLS projects a 21 percent increase in the number of nurse-midwives in the United States between 2016 and 2026.

One of the reasons for the growing demand for Certified Nurse Midwives is the looming shortage of OB-GYNs. By some estimates, the US could face a shortage of 6,000 to 8,000 OB-GYNs by 2020.