A Guide To Becoming A Midwife

Midwives are women who work with expectant mothers to give them prenatal care and deliver their babies. Women turn to their midwife for support and comfort during their pregnancies.

The bond is one that can last forever so it is important for people to love what they do and have the knowledge to be successful. This medical profession requires both educational and work experience. Here is a guide to becoming a midwife.

The first step is to find out the requirements for becoming a midwife. Each country has differing laws regarding certification so it is important for people to know what is required. People who wish to become midwives should begin with working with a certified midwife to begin their clinical training. Most programs require that individuals have at least one year of hands on experience.

The second step is to focus on education. Most countries require that midwives complete a complex exam to become certified. This includes a written exam and a skills test to ensure that the midwife has the capabilities to administer medical care.

There are programs that women can choose to pursue so that they can become nurse midwives. Most of these programs are for two years or less depending on the course load that a person chooses to complete. It is important for women to know that midwives have to keep re-educating themselves to be as effective as possible at what they do. Women should consider reading medical journals while learning as well so that they can study about new procedures and medications that can benefit women.

The third step is for people to make sure that they work hard and are disciplined. Being a midwife can be stressful because child birth can take many hours. There are many responsibilities that will need to be learned.

Some of the responsibilities that midwives have include the following:

• Perform gynecological exams
• Order and review test results 
• Provide prenatal care and prescribe medications 
• Deliver babies and work in conjunction with physicians if cesarean sections are needed.

Becoming a midwife is a journey. Interested individuals should consider studying health, science, biology and other subjects so that they can have a solid foundation for when they pursue their education. The process takes several years to complete but it is a rewarding profession. Women become pregnant every day so widwife jobs are recession proof which is great for people who want job security.