DiversityNursing Blog

We're Rolling Out the Blue Carpet

Join us on August 15th for a documentary premiere

Come and meet our new President, Dr. Brooke Flinders!

Join Frontier Nursing University at 6:00 pm for a premiere at the Speed Museum Cinema in Louisville, Ky on August 15th for a reception and viewing of Nurse-Midwives: Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis. Produced by Frontier and Michael Breeding, this new documentary examines maternal health care and the role of nurse-midwives.

Register Now!

Unable to join us for the premiere? We invite you to view the documentary at frontier.edu/documentary or sign up to host a viewing in your community!

Appetizers will be provided during the reception. Parking is available in the museum garage. Frontier will provide parking validation at the event. 

“The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among wealthy nations, and 2022 data from the CDC shows that over 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the U. S. from 2017-2019 were preventable by providing better care,” said FNU President Dr. Susan Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNM, FAAN. “This documentary tells the story of how distance education paved the way to addressing this crisis by educating more nurse-midwives who play a crucial role in reducing maternal mortality.”

Before the advent of online learning, a remarkable group of nurses and nurse-midwives believed that more nurses would seek certification as nurse-midwives if they could stay in their home communities during the educational process. Thus the development of the unique and innovative Community-based Nurse-Midwifery Education Program (CNEP). CNEP was developed to allow nurses who lived in rural and underserved communities access to nurse-midwifery education without leaving home. The documentary details the development and evolution of the CNEP via interviews with visionary leaders and educators. It also shines a light on the subsequent development of family nurse practitioner, women's health care nurse practitioner, and psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner distance education programs and their similarly vital roles in maternal health care.

“The work of nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners is reshaping the landscape of 21st-century healthcare,” Dr. Stone said. “From Alaska to Alabama to Appalachia to every state in America, these amazing healthcare providers are making a difference in the rural and underserved communities in which they live and serve.”

Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) are becoming more common for women and mothers across the nation.

Overall employment of Nurse Midwives is projected to grow 45% from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations.

If you're interested in this career path,  it's beneficial to understand what CNMs do and their role in health care.

Nurse Midwives are primary health care providers for women of all ages and provide all types of gynecological, prenatal, and post-pregnancy care.

According to Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, common tasks and duties include:

• Confirming and dating pregnancy
• Providing prenatal and postpartum care
• Caring for women during childbirth including monitoring the mother and fetus during labor, assessing labor progress, managing complications, assisting with pain management, performing episiotomies if needed, and delivering the newborn and placenta
• Providing education for new parents on infant care
• Supporting new mothers that are breastfeeding with education and training
• Preparing pregnant women for what to expect during the birthing process
• Performing preventive health screenings and tests
• Diagnosing and treating gynecological disorders such as sexually transmitted diseases and infertility

There are many different paths in the Midwifery field. According to Western Governors University, various roles include:

• CNM: Certified Nurse-Midwives are Registered Nurses who have additional certification as a Midwife. That double licensure gives them additional opportunity and training in the medical field. Specific Midwifery education is the same for a CNM and CM.

• CM: A Certified Midwife is someone who is certified as a Midwife, but doesn’t have a Registered Nursing license as well. The certification is identical for a CM and CNM, the only difference is the Registered Nursing license.

• CPM: A Certified Professional Midwife is certified and must have particular experience in home-birth or out-of-hospital settings. The certification requirements are much less than that of a CM or CNM. A Midwifery program may still be involved, but often it is less detailed and intense.

• Doula: Doulas are not maternity care providers, but provide informational and emotional support for a mother during childbirth. Doulas provide services to mothers while they are pregnant, during their labor and delivery, as well as after the baby is born. Some Doulas work directly for birth centers or hospitals, while others are hired directly by expecting mothers. Because Doulas don’t provide medical support, there aren’t direct legal requirements regarding their practice. Some doulas get formal training, though it’s not required.

The average CNM salary in the United States is $116,574, as reported by Salary.com.

If you’re truly interested in becoming a Nurse Midwife, start with your BSN then find a Nursing school like Frontier Nursing University (FNU) to help get you started on your journey.

FNU graduates make up nearly 40% of the nation's Midwives!