CERTIFIED NURSE MIDWIFE (CNM) By Megan Cambron and Raley Smarr

NURSE MIDWIFE (CNM) o Practice in clinical settings o Deliver prenatal, postpartum and newborn o Provide care during childbirth o Track fetal development o Perform physical exams o Act as primary health care provider for women o Keep records of physical exams, patients’ medical history and other information o Refer patients to specialists o Diagnose and treat

UNITED STATES STATISTICS o As of 2014 there are 11,192 CNM’s in USA o 82% have masters degree o 4.8% have doctoral degrees o In 2012 CNM’s delivered 313,846 babies o 11.8% of vaginal births o 7.9% of total births o 9.6% of all CMN’s are male

PRACTICE SETTING AND PATIENT POPULATION o Hospitals, private practices, birthing centers, health maintenance organizations, health departments o 90% of patient visits are for primary preventive care o Birth women and newborns o Regular gynecologic care o Serve mostly in underserved areas

EDUCATION o Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM): Registered nurses who graduated from an accredited nurse-midwifery program. o Have to receive BSN o Pass NCLEX o A Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) at a certified nurse midwife school that is accredited by Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME). o Take the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) exam o After pass exam nurse is free to practice as CNM

PRACTICING CNM LEADERSHIP o Educate about contraceptives, preventative care, healthy lifestyles post partum for mom and baby. o These nurses are crucial to the growth and development of the infant and population as a whole o Evaluate domestic and global health policies and legislative affairs to abide by the rights of their patients o Medicaid reimbursement for CNM care is mandatory in ALL states

PATIENT ADVOCACY o Certified Nurse Midwives campaign for improved childbirth services o All actively lobby for the right of women to have an informed choice about care and facilities for their childbearing.

ORGANIZATIONS o American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) o Have to have practiced for 2 years o Benefits include being on their Find-A-Midwife national registrar o Receive magazines and articles on new research o Voting rights in the organization

CONCLUSION Certified Nurse Midwives share a deep commitment to bettering the health of their patients and children. They come together as a community educating and supporting their patients. The patients needs always come first and the CNM’s are always willing to go out of their way to help.