What Do Midwives Do?
Midwives are health care professionals who provide primary and preventive reproductive health care to women: first exams, pre-conception counseling, gynecological exams, and family planning advice. Midwives also manage pregnancies, deliver babies, and provide prenatal and postpartum care to women and their infants. Midwives also perform newborn evaluation and resuscitation, if necessary, and refer infants for further assessment or treatment at the time of delivery.
The scope of practice for midwives varies depending on the state(s) they work in. In New York, midwives are authorized to prescribe and administer medications, immunizing agents, diagnostic tests and devices, and order laboratory tests.
Certified nurse midwives (CNM) are educated in both nursing (usually as a registered nurse) and midwifery.
Certified midwives (CM) are professionally credentialed in midwifery.
For more information about midwives in New York, go to: www.op.nysed.gov/prof/midwife.
For more information, please go to: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/nurse-anesthetists-nurse-midwives-and-nurse-practitioners.htm.
Where Do Midwives Work?
Midwives work in hospitals, clinics, and private practices. They assist births and deliver babies wherever they may occur, including hospitals, birthing centers, and clients’ homes.
What Do Midwives Earn?
In 2022, the average annual income reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for midwives in the United States was $122,450. The New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) reports that, in 2023, midwives in New York earned a median annual salary of $132,256 (midwives in the 25th percentile made approximately $108,136 while those in the 75th percentile made approximately $147,824).
Supply and Demand
The number of midwives in New York has been steadily growing. Health insurance coverage of midwifery services nationwide and in New York will likely contribute to the increasing demand for midwives and the services they provide.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the number of jobs for nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners in the U.S. will increase by 40% between 2021 and 2031. The New York State Department of Labor projects that the number of jobs for nurse midwives in the state will increase by 16% between 2020 and 2030.
For more information on projections of midwives by New York State labor regions, 2018-2028, click here.
New York Education Program Requirements
While midwives licensed to practice in New York may or may not be registered nurses, all must complete a state-approved midwifery education program, which includes classroom study as well as clinical training. Coursework will include maternity care, family planning, gynecological care, nutrition, pharmacology, well-women care, ethics, pediatrics, and neonatal care.
For more information about New York’s education requirements for midwives, go to http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/midwife/midwifelic.htm#educ.
New York Licensure Requirements
In order to qualify for licensure as a midwife in New York, applicants must be high school graduates and complete a New York State licensure qualifying program in midwifery, or equivalent.
To meet the examination requirement for licensure as a midwife in New York, an applicant must pass the examination developed and administered by the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB).
For more information on New York’s licensure requirements for midwives, go to: http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/midwife/midwifelic.htm.
Financial Support
The American College of Nurse-Midwives offers information about financial aid, scholarships, fellowships, and loans for midwifery students. For more information, go to: http://www.midwife.org/Financing-Your-Nurse-Midwifery-Education.
Education Programs in New York (subject to change)
| Columbia University School of Nursing 630 W 168th Street New York, NY 10032 (212) 305-5756 or (212) 305-5451 |
New York University College of Nursing 726 Broadway, 10th floor New York, NY 10003 (212) 998-5300 |
| SUNY Downstate Medical Center College of Health Related Professions 450 Clarkson Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11203 (718) 270-7740 or (718) 270-7701 |
Stony Brook University School of Nursing 101 Nicolls Road Health Sciences Center, Level 2 Stony Brook, NY 11794-8240 (631) 444-3074 or (631) 632-6000 |
Additional Web Links
For more information about midwives, go to:
the American Collge of Nurse-Midwives Web site at: www.acnm.org
or visit the New York State Association of Licensed Midwives www.newyorkmidwives.org/.