Midwives
The occupation Midwives covers people who provide prenatal care and childbirth assistance. Expect to monitor maternal condition during labor by checking vital signs, monitoring uterine contractions, or performing physical examinations. The strongest interest signal is Social (6.0 of 7), then Realistic (4.0) and Investigative, which gives it the code SRI. Plan on graduate school and often five years or more of related experience; O*NET labels this extensive preparation. Strength in social perceptiveness, monitoring, and critical thinking helps most here. You may also need to identify tubal and ectopic pregnancies and refer patients for treatments. It tends to suit people who want helping, teaching or caring for people, and it offers little for anyone seeking creative work with room for original expression.
What they do
Provide prenatal care and childbirth assistance.
Main tasks
- Monitor maternal condition during labor by checking vital signs, monitoring uterine contractions, or performing physical examinations.
- Identify tubal and ectopic pregnancies and refer patients for treatments.
- Provide necessary medical care for infants at birth, including emergency care such as resuscitation.
- Conduct ongoing prenatal health assessments, tracking changes in physical and emotional health.
- Monitor fetal growth and well-being through heartbeat detection, body measurement, and palpation.
- Establish and follow emergency or contingency plans for mothers and newborns.
Skills
- Social Perceptiveness
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Service Orientation
- Judgment and Decision Making
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You get energy from helping other people move forward.
- You like ending the day with a physical result you can point to.
- You are prepared for graduate-level study and a long training path.
- You are comfortable relying on social perceptiveness and monitoring.
May not suit you if
- You find a full day of dealing with people draining.
- You need creative expression to be a big part of your day. Artistic rates 1.9 out of 7 here.
- You want to be working in the field within the next few years.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code SRI takes the three highest, and Social comes first here.
Preparation
Extensive preparation. Many jobs here need graduate study, and people often spend five years or more building specialist experience.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Post-Secondary Certificate. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- Birth Center Midwife
- Certified Direct-Entry Midwife
- Certified Professional Midwife (CPM)
- Homebirth Midwife
- Lay Midwife
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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.