Nurse Midwives
Diagnose and coordinate all aspects of the birthing process, either independently or as part of a healthcare team. May provide well-woman gynecological care. Must have specialized, graduate nursing education.
Also called: Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) · Nurse Midwife · Staff Certified Nurse Midwife · Staff Nurse Midwife
Median pay (national)
$128,790
$74,670–$177,040 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
8,280
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+11.1%
~500 openings/yr
Typical entry
Master's degree
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for nurse midwives shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $177,040 versus $74,670 at the bottom 10% — 2.4x. The median of $128,790 leaves roughly 37% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +11.1% from 2024 to 2034 — much faster than the 3% average for all occupations. Even so, BLS projects about 500 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 38 states with released data, California pays the most for this role (median $196,700, +53% vs the national median), while Idaho sits lowest at $89,870 — a 119% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
- Monitoring
- Writing
- Learning Strategies
- Science
- Mathematics
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Provide prenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, or newborn care to patients.
- Monitor fetal development by listening to fetal heartbeat, taking external uterine measurements, identifying fetal position, or estimating fetal size and weight.
- Document patients' health histories, symptoms, physical conditions, or other diagnostic information.
- Provide patients with direct family planning services, such as inserting intrauterine devices, dispensing oral contraceptives, and fitting cervical barriers, including cervical caps or diaphragms.
- Prescribe medications as permitted by state regulations.
- Develop and implement individualized plans for health care management.
- Explain procedures to patients, family members, staff members or others.
- Order and interpret diagnostic or laboratory tests.
- Initiate emergency interventions to stabilize patients.
- Document findings of physical examinations.
Tools & technology
- eClinicalWorks EHR software
- Epic Systems
- Acrendo Medical Software Ob/Gyn EMR
- Allscripts Professional EHR
- Amkai AmkaiCharts
- Bizmatics PrognoCIS EMR
- Cerner Millennium
- ChartWare EMR
- digiChart OB-GYN
- e-MDs software
- GE Healthcare Centricity EMR
- Greenway Medical Technologies PrimeSUITE
- Medscribbler Enterprise
- MicroFour PracticeStudio.NET EMR
- NextGen Healthcare Information Systems EMR
- Practice Partner Total Practice Partner
Knowledge areas
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Psychology
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Biology
- Sociology and Anthropology
- Therapy and Counseling
- Education and Training