Becoming a midwife is a challenging and demanding role, but it is also incredibly rewarding. Nurse-midwives are important healthcare professionals that provide vital services and support throughout a pregnancy, and to women in general. If you are already a registered nurse and are looking to advance into this field, an online DNP Nurse-Midwifery program can help provide you with the skills and knowledge required to work at this level. Similarly, if you are just at the start of your nursing career and are unsure as to where you would like to focus your work, looking at the different career outcomes and options can help you work out where your passions lie, and help you to plan ahead in order to achieve this.
What does a nurse-midwife do?
Nurse-midwives are healthcare professionals who have completed training in both nursing and midwifery, and this can be studied as a specialty in itself with DNP courses such as these nurse midwife programs in Texas. Nurse-midwives have a high level of training in both of these areas, allowing them to deliver high-quality care and support in women-centered health care and during and after a pregnancy.
As a nurse-midwife, your responsibilities will be incredibly varied. Common tasks include:
- Primary healthcare provider for women
- Physical exams
- Managing therapy
- Ordering tests and procedures
- Promoting women’s health
- Working with both high-risk and low-risk pregnancies in different capacities and with different healthcare professionals
- Developing treatment plans
- Educate women on their birth options and collaborate with them in planning their birth
- Monitor maternal health and fetal health, and treat health conditions that may arise during the pregnancy
In some states, nurse-midwives can practice independently, without the supervision of a physician. Nurse-midwives have different training and backgrounds than midwives, namely in the form of the nursing training they have received. This allows nurse-midwives to perform the duties of both a midwife and a nurse, providing lifetime primary care to women as well as care and support in all elements of a pregnancy.
How do you become a nurse-midwife?
In order to become a nurse-midwife, you will have to undergo many years of rigorous training to prepare you to work in this area. The general path to becoming a nurse-midwife looks like this:
- Complete a BSN, ADN or nursing diploma. This will provide you with the base-level knowledge and experience that you will need to work in general nursing. This is useful as it can help you understand where your passions lie within the nursing industry, and the area in which you may like to specialize in the future.
- Pass your licensing exams in the state in which you want to practice in. From this, you will be able to apply for certain positions and roles within the nursing industry that will provide you with valuable real-world experiences and opportunities.
- You can then choose to study an MSN in the area in which you want to specialize in. This can again open more career opportunities to you due to your higher level of training and knowledge. There is also the option to study a BSN to DNP program, which can combine the MSN and DNP, providing an accelerating learning option. This course option takes just over 3 years to complete, with the MSN to DNP option taking 2 years. The former option can be a great idea if you already know that you want to be a nurse-midwife, and want to start working towards that role right away.
- You will also have to pursue further certification and licensing in order to practice at this level. These can vary depending on the state in which you are practicing so it is important to consider this when making your choices.
Why study online?
The ability to study as much of the course online as possible makes it an attractive alternative learning option. Online courses can provide more flexibility and affordability than full-time, in-person courses, and are often designed to be studied around your existing job and life commitments. The tuition fees for online courses can often be cheaper, and you can also save money by not having to travel to classes every day, or by not having to rent campus accommodation. Furthermore, you may also be eligible for financial support from your institution, as well as other benefits such as student discounts. The ability to work while you are studying means that you can continue to earn money while you complete the course, and you don’t have to put the rest of your life on hold.
Another benefit of online learning is the ability to have more control over your learning environment and the pace at which you learn. It can be a challenge to create a productive learning environment at home, but once you have learned what works for you, you will be able to employ these methods, items and techniques again in the future. Self-paced learning can make a huge difference when it comes to how well you absorb information, and how much you enjoy the experience of learning. Nurses always need to be willing and able to learn new information, so understanding your learning style, and what techniques work best for you, can be incredibly useful.
You can also develop your soft skills when studying online, regardless of the course and content. The ability to manage completing a course while working is valuable, as you will develop your multitasking, organizational and self-motivation skills, perhaps without even realizing it. There are many soft skills that make a great nurse, and you will likely have many of them already. They can always be developed, and you will learn how to apply them in new situations. These skills are personal and transferrable, which means they can help you in any workplace or role, making you stand out in a team and succeed in your chosen career.
Becoming a nurse-midwife is a rewarding career, that allows you to support women throughout their lives, as well as through all stages of their pregnancies. It requires a high level of skill and training, as well as personal traits, in order to deliver this high level of health care and support.
