Description
Certified Nurse Midwives provide evidence-based primary, reproductive, and perinatal care to women and newborns, managing low-risk pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum independently or within a multidisciplinary team. They also deliver well-woman gynecologic and family planning services. CNMs hold graduate nursing education, national certification, state licensure, and prescriptive authority as allowed.
- • Educate patients and families on prenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, newborn, and interconception care.
- • Provide comprehensive prenatal, labor and birth, postpartum, and newborn care for low-risk patients.
- • Obtain and document health histories, symptoms, and obstetric and gynecologic risk factors.
- • Monitor fetal growth and well-being (FHR assessment, fundal height, Leopold maneuvers, size/position/EFW).
- • Perform physical and pelvic examinations, including vitals and focused neurologic, breast, and genital exams.
- • Order and interpret labs and diagnostics, including prenatal panels and fetal surveillance studies.
- • Develop and update individualized plans of care using evidence-based guidelines.
- • Prescribe medications and therapies within state licensure and collaborative agreements.
- • Provide contraception counseling and services, including IUD and implant insertion/removal and barrier methods.
- • Explain tests, procedures, risks, benefits, and alternatives; obtain informed consent.
- • Initiate emergency management for obstetric or neonatal complications (e.g., hemorrhage, eclampsia, shoulder dystocia, neonatal resuscitation).
- • Manage labor, including induction or augmentation per protocol, amniotomy, and intrapartum fetal monitoring.
- • Repair perineal lacerations and perform episiotomy repair within scope.
- • Manage immediate and early newborn care, including routine assessments and breastfeeding support.
- • Provide primary and well-woman gynecologic care, including screenings for STIs and cervical cancer.
- • Consult, collaborate, or refer to obstetrics, maternal-fetal medicine, pediatrics, anesthesia, or other specialists when indicated.
- • Document assessments, plans, procedures, and outcomes in the electronic health record and communicate handoffs.
- • Lead or participate in quality improvement, safety drills, and compliance with practice guidelines.
- • Stay current with midwifery standards through literature review, continuing education, and professional involvement.
- • Educate and precept student nurse midwives and other learners on normal and complex labor and birth.
- • Provide community or staff education on perinatal, lactation, and reproductive health topics.
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O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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Last reviewed: Jan 2026
