How to become a Midwive
Official title: Midwives
Also called: Birth Center Midwife, Certified Direct-Entry Midwife, Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), Homebirth Midwife, Lay Midwife, Licensed and Certified Midwife, Licensed Certified Professional Midwife, Licensed Direct Entry Midwife, Licensed Midwife (LM)
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.
- Identify, monitor, or treat pregnancy-related problems such as hypertension, gestational diabetes, pre-term labor, or retarded fetal growth.
- Obtain complete health and medical histories from patients including medical, surgical, reproductive, or mental health histories.
How to become one
Typical education to start: Postsecondary nondegree award
Ways in
- College: Nursing & Midwifery degrees, Offered by 15 universities in the US
- Certificate or associate's degree: Postsecondary nondegree award. Programs such as Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/Specialist; Bioethics/Medical Ethics; Traditional Chinese Medicine and Chinese Herbology
- Licence: A licence is required in 43 states.
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $65,790 a year The middle half earn $47,750 to $97,000.
- About 39,100 people work in this job now, and about 41,000 are projected by 2035. (+5.1%)
- People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.
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Questions people ask
How do I become a Midwive?
Ways in include: Nursing & Midwifery degrees; Postsecondary nondegree award.
How much does a Midwive earn in the US?
Median full-time pay is $65,790 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $47,750 to $97,000.
Is a Midwive a growing career in the US?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 5% by 2035, from about 39,100 to about 41,000 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Do you need a degree to become a Midwive?
Usually. 73% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Will AI change the work of a Midwive?
People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.
Sources
- Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
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.