Midwives work with their patients once their pregnancy is confirmed, from prenatal care, through labor and delivery, and even for a time after the baby is born. They are particularly skilled at providing comfort, relaxation, and reassurance during labor. Midwives counsel women on nutrition during and after pregnancy, teach patients and family members what to expect both physically and emotionally from pregnancy and birth, and how to care for a newborn. They perform physical examinations, evaluate patients’ lab and medical records, run blood tests, and consult with other healthcare practitioners as needed. The midwife also cares for the newborn, administering medical care, including emergency care. Midwives provide general gynecological care as well, including exams, disease prevention and treatment, and family planning. Most midwives work in hospitals or clinics, and sometimes help women deliver babies at home if a pregnancy is low-risk and labor does not present complications. Midwives’ education levels vary quite a bit, although many positions require either a related bachelor’s degree, or graduation from a midwifery program, along with significant related work experience. Many states require licensure.
What they do:
Provide prenatal care and childbirth assistance.
On the job, you would:
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.
Business
customer service
management
Health
medicine and dentistry
therapy and counseling
Math and Science
psychology
biology
Arts and Humanities
English language
Basic Skills
keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements
thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem
Problem Solving
noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
Social
understanding people's reactions
looking for ways to help people
Verbal
communicate by speaking
listen and understand what people say
Ideas and Logic
make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
notice when problems happen
Attention
pay attention to something without being distracted
People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking.
They do well at jobs that need:
Dependability
Concern for Others
Integrity
Self Control
Stress Tolerance
Adaptability/Flexibility
You might use software like this on the job:
Spreadsheet software
Microsoft Excel
Presentation software
Microsoft PowerPoint
Medical software
MEDITECH software
Private Practice
certificate after high school or master's degree usually needed
Produced by 
License
