Starting Salary of a Midwife

Midwives provide prenatal care for women with uncomplicated pregnancies, attend low-risk births and provide well-woman care. They attend births in birthing centers and hospitals as well as attending homebirths. The education and qualifications of midwives varies; in some states midwives must also be registered nurses, while in some states they don't need any kind of college degree or license.

Direct Entry Midwives

Direct entry midwives are not registered nurses. In some states they must become licensed by the state and in some they don't need to. They attend births in birthing centers and attend homebirths but cannot attend births in hospitals. The Midwifery Education Accreditation Council says that a typical direct entry midwife attends two to four births per month and reports that in June 2011 the average salary for a direct entry midwife just starting out ranges from $2000 to $4000 per birth.

Certified Nurse Midwives

Certified nurse midwives must have master's degrees in the science of nursing and be registered nurses licensed by the state in which they practice. They can attend births in hospitals as well as attending homebirths and births in birthing centers. According to Scrubs Magazine, the average annual starting salary for certified nurse midwives in December 2010 was $84,000. Nurse midwifery was ranked one of the top ten highest paying nursing specialties at that time.

Factors Influencing Salary

The starting salaries for midwives vary according to geographical area and also from facility to facility. Other factors that influence starting salaries include things like whether or not midwives have college degrees, whether or not they hold any licenses and any special skills they have, such as speaking languages other than English.

Benefits

Midwives that have solo practices or work for small practices often have few benefits but those working for hospitals or large midwifery practices often have a number of benefits, such as health insurance, life insurance, retirement plans, paid sick days and vacation days, tuition reimbursement if they wish to further their educations and uniform allowances. Midwives may not be eligible for benefits when just starting out, however; employers may require they complete a successful period of employment first.

Sources:

Midwives Alliance of North America. http://mana.org/definitions.html . Definitions.

Midwifery Education Accreditation Council. http://www.meacschools.org/prospective_students.php . FAQ for Students.

Scrubs Magazine. http://scrubsmag.com/top-ten-highest-paying-nursing-specialties/ . Top 10 Highest Paying Nursing Specialties.