Midwives deliver patients' babies in either birthing centers, patients' homes, or hospital settings. They provide emotional support and guidance before, during, and after labor. They also identify high-risk pregnancies and educate patients and their families on antenatal care and reproductive health.

  • Monitor maternal condition during labor by checking vital signs, monitoring uterine contractions, or performing physical examinations.
  • Monitor fetal growth and well-being through heartbeat detection, body measurement, and palpation.
  • Identify, monitor, or treat pregnancy-related problems such as hypertension, gestational diabetes, pre-term labor, or retarded fetal growth.
  • Provide necessary medical care for infants at birth, including emergency care such as resuscitation.
  • Establish and follow emergency or contingency plans for mothers and newborns.
  • Identify tubal and ectopic pregnancies and refer patients for treatments.
  • Perform post-partum health assessments of mothers and babies at regular intervals.
  • Maintain documentation of all patients' contacts, reviewing and updating records as necessary.
  • Assess the status of post-date pregnancies to determine treatments and interventions.
  • Counsel women regarding the nutritional requirements of pregnancy.
  • Suture perineal lacerations.
  • Conduct ongoing prenatal health assessments, tracking changes in physical and emotional health.
  • Obtain complete health and medical histories from patients including medical, surgical, reproductive, or mental health histories.
  • Set up or monitor the administration of oxygen or medications.
  • Estimate patients' due dates and re-evaluate as necessary based on examination results.
  • Provide information about the physical and emotional processes involved in the pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum periods.
  • Evaluate patients' laboratory and medical records, requesting assistance from other practitioners when necessary.
  • Assist maternal patients to find physical positions that will facilitate childbirth.
  • Complete birth certificates.
  • Provide comfort and relaxation measures for mothers in labor through interventions such as massage, breathing techniques, hydrotherapy, or music.
  • Refer patients to specialists for procedures such as ultrasounds or biophysical profiles.
  • Develop, implement, or evaluate individualized plans for midwifery care.
  • Test patients' hemoglobin, hematocrit, and blood glucose levels.
  • Recommend the use of vitamin and mineral supplements to enhance the health of patients and children.
  • Respond to breech birth presentations by applying methods such as exercises or external version.
  • Incorporate research findings into practice as appropriate.
  • Assess birthing environments to ensure cleanliness, safety, and the availability of appropriate supplies.
  • Provide, or refer patients to other providers for, education or counseling on topics such as genetic testing, newborn care, contraception, or breastfeeding.
  • Collect specimens for use in laboratory tests.
  • Provide postpartum patients with contraceptive and family planning information.
  • Inform patients of how to prepare and supply birth sites.
  • Treat patients' symptoms with alternative health care methods such as herbs or hydrotherapy.
  • Provide information about community health and social resources.
  • Compile and evaluate clinical practice statistics.
  • Collaborate in research studies.
Work Context
  • Consequence of Error — 95% responded "Extremely serious".
  • Freedom to Make Decisions — 88% responded "A lot of freedom".
  • Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results — 80% responded "Very important results".
  • Telephone — 83% responded "Every day".
  • Frequency of Decision Making — 86% responded "Every day".
  • Face-to-Face Discussions — 82% responded "Every day".
  • Contact With Others — 76% responded "Constant contact with others".
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Work Activities
  • Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  • Assisting and Caring for Others — Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
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Detailed Work Activities
  • Position patients for treatment or examination.
  • Monitor patient conditions during treatments, procedures, or activities.
  • Examine patients to assess general physical condition.
  • Care for women during pregnancy and childbirth.
  • Monitor patient conditions during treatments, procedures, or activities.
  • Prepare medical supplies or equipment for use.
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Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
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Skills

Critical Thinking
  • Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Active Listening
  • Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Judgment and Decision Making
  • Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Speaking
  • Talking to others to convey information effectively.
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Abilities

Oral Comprehension
  • The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Problem Sensitivity
  • The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Oral Expression
  • The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Speech Recognition
  • The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
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Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.
They do well at jobs that need:
  • Achievement/Effort
  • Persistence
  • Initiative
  • Leadership
  • Cooperation
  • Concern for Others
  • Social Orientation
  • Self Control
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Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Medical software
  • MEDITECH software Hot Technology
  • Patient electronic medical record EMR software
  • Private Practice
Spreadsheet software
  • Microsoft Excel Hot Technology
Presentation software
  • Microsoft PowerPoint Hot Technology
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Education

Get started on your career:

Job Outlook

New job opportunities are very likely in the future.
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