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Midwives

Provide prenatal care and childbirth assistance.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Establish and follow emergency or contingency plans for mothers and newborns.
    • Identify tubal and ectopic pregnancies and refer patients for treatments.
    • Monitor maternal condition during labor by checking vital signs, monitoring uterine contractions, or performing physical examinations.
    • Obtain complete health and medical histories from patients including medical, surgical, reproductive, or mental health histories.
    • Evaluate patients' laboratory and medical records, requesting assistance from other practitioners when necessary.
    • Suture perineal lacerations.
    • Provide information about community health and social resources.
    • Refer patients to specialists for procedures such as ultrasounds or biophysical profiles.
    • Inform patients of how to prepare and supply birth sites.
    • Set up or monitor the administration of oxygen or medications.
    • Maintain documentation of all patients' contacts, reviewing and updating records as necessary.
    • Provide, or refer patients to other providers for, education or counseling on topics such as genetic testing, newborn care, contraception, or breastfeeding.
    • Incorporate research findings into practice as appropriate.
    • Perform annual gynecologic exams, including pap smears and breast exams.
    • Provide, or refer patients to other providers for, education or counseling on topics such as genetic testing, newborn care, contraception, or breastfeeding.
    • Perform annual gynecologic exams, including pap smears and breast exams.
    • Perform post-partum health assessments of mothers and babies at regular intervals.
    • Provide information about the physical and emotional processes involved in the pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum periods.
    • Collect specimens for use in laboratory tests.
    • Collaborate in research studies.
    • Monitor fetal growth and well-being through heartbeat detection, body measurement, and palpation.
    • Conduct ongoing prenatal health assessments, tracking changes in physical and emotional health.
    • Identify tubal and ectopic pregnancies and refer patients for treatments.
    • Monitor fetal growth and well-being through heartbeat detection, body measurement, and palpation.
    • Identify, monitor, or treat pregnancy-related problems such as hypertension, gestational diabetes, pre-term labor, or retarded fetal growth.
    • Assist maternal patients to find physical positions that will facilitate childbirth.
    • Respond to breech birth presentations by applying methods such as exercises or external version.
    • Identify, monitor, or treat pregnancy-related problems such as hypertension, gestational diabetes, pre-term labor, or retarded fetal growth.
    • Set up or monitor the administration of oxygen or medications.
    • Estimate patients' due dates and re-evaluate as necessary based on examination results.
    • Recommend the use of vitamin and mineral supplements to enhance the health of patients and children.
    • Counsel women regarding the nutritional requirements of pregnancy.
    • Complete birth certificates.
    • Evaluate patients' laboratory and medical records, requesting assistance from other practitioners when necessary.
    • Assess birthing environments to ensure cleanliness, safety, and the availability of appropriate supplies.
    • Provide necessary medical care for infants at birth, including emergency care such as resuscitation.
    • Assess the status of post-date pregnancies to determine treatments and interventions.
    • Provide patients with contraceptive and family planning information.
    • Compile and evaluate clinical practice statistics.
    • Conduct ongoing prenatal health assessments, tracking changes in physical and emotional health.
    • Monitor maternal condition during labor by checking vital signs, monitoring uterine contractions, or performing physical examinations.
    • Provide comfort and relaxation measures for mothers in labor through interventions such as massage, breathing techniques, hydrotherapy, or music.
    • Estimate patients' due dates and re-evaluate as necessary based on examination results.
    • Develop, implement, or evaluate individualized plans for midwifery care.
    • Test patients' hemoglobin, hematocrit, and blood glucose levels.
    • Assess birthing environments to ensure cleanliness, safety, and the availability of appropriate supplies.
    • Perform annual gynecologic exams, including pap smears and breast exams.
    • Treat patients' symptoms with alternative health care methods such as herbs or hydrotherapy.

    Skills

    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    Abilities

    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.

    Knowledge

    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    Education

    Education
    Postsecondary certificate
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    No on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    69440/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    33.39/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    11,560
    Yearly Projected Openings
    960

    Personality

    Social: People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Sincerity
    • Optimism
    • Adaptability
    • Perseverance
    • Empathy
    • Stress Tolerance

    Tools

    • Acute care fetal or maternal monitoring units
    • Bedpans
    • Blood collection syringes
    • Desktop computers
    • Electronic blood pressure units
    • Electronic medical thermometers
    • Endoscopic hemostatic balloons or needles or tubes or accessories
    • Glucose monitors or meters
    • Infant scales
    • Intermittent positive pressure breathing IPPB machines
    • Intravenous tubing with catheter administration kits
    • Lancets
    • Medical acoustic stethoscopes
    • Medical bulb syringes
    • Medical exam or non surgical procedure gloves
    • Medical gas cylinders or related devices
    • Medical oxygen masks or parts
    • Medical syringes with needle
    • Medical tape measures
    • Medical ultrasound or doppler or echocardiograph transducer accessories
    • Medical ultrasound or doppler or pulse echocardiograph or echocardiograph units for general diagnostic use
    • Mercury blood pressure units
    • Mobile medical services automated external defibrillators AED or hard paddles
    • Notebook computers
    • Patient floor scales
    • Personal computers
    • Reflex hammers or mallets
    • Surgical clamps or clips or forceps
    • Surgical needle holders
    • Surgical scissors
    • Suturing kits or trays or packs or sets
    • Therapeutic heating or cooling pads or compresses or packs
    • Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation units
    • Urinalysis test strips
    • Urinary catheterization kits
    • Vacuum blood collection tubes or containers
    • Vaginal exam speculas

    Technology

    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise application integration software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Internet browser software
    • Medical software
    • Office suite software
    • Presentation software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software