Midwives can work in hospitals like I do expanding the team of OB practitioners. We are an expansion of what doctors do in the clinic on the labor floor. They can work like I described dealing with all patients that we see in clinic or first time Moms, but they can also just be on the floor helping with all laboring patients and delivering them. That term is a “laborist” or they are also used as a triage practitioner seeing patients with complaints that brought them to the hospital and deciding if they are in labor being admitted or discharged.
Today’s graduates would most likely have a dual degree as a CNM and nurse practitioner, therefore, making it possible to work in any hospital or practice (office) in Women’s health. This does make you more marketable.
Clinics employ midwives often for gyn and contraception.
Midwives are also in private practices like I had described. Here it could be one or more CNM’s and MD’s that are all seeing the patients throughout their pregnancy and whoever is on call when they deliver will be there for them.
We are getting more popular of late and I can only wonder if that has something to do with “call the Midwife“ series. It reminded women they have a choice of having someone deliver them who will support them throughout labor again priding themselves the vaginal delivery experience, not forfeting the professional education and expertise. We are not ‘lay midwives’ it is now a doctoral degree and many like myself are Ivy League trained.
