What are Nurse Midwives
Nurse Midwives are nurses who have chosen to further specialize in midwifery. It is a special field of nursing that encompasses the responsibilities of nurses and midwives. Nurse midwives can find employment in hospital delivery and labor rooms. They can also work in clinics outside the hospital setting. These nurses may also be assigned in schools ad in the workplace as industrial nurses.
Nurse Midwives have the option of holding their own practice and setting up their own prenatal and birthing clinics. In these clinics, they take care of low risk patients that give birth through NSVD (Natural Spontaneous Vaginal Deliveries). Complicated cases are referred to tertiary care centers. Nurse Midwifes are also advocates of natural, drug free births. They may also explore alternative birth processes such as water births.
Roles of a Nurse Midwife
A nurse midwife is still called to perform the basic activities of a nurse. She will be providing basic care for her patients. She may also have to take on the role of counsellor for the patient and their families. However, one of the most important roles of a nurse midwife is that of an educator. She needs to be able to convey health teaching and family planning methods to the families within her care.
Characteristics a Good Nurse Midwife
Nurse midwives may be subjected to unpredictable and long work hours. A woman’s labor, especially first time moms can last up to 48 hours. That means that a good nurse midwife has to practice patience. She needs to be able to endure the long hours of wait. A nurse midwife must also be constantly ready in case of hurried labours and emergency deliveries.
A Nurse midwife must also learn to be independent, most especially if she is setting up her own practice. She needs to make sure that she can stand on her own. A nurse midwife needs to learn the value of teamwork and communication. In cases where the birth becomes too complicated for her to handle, she needs to be effective in handing over care to the hospitals.
Good nurse midwives must also be sensitive to their patient’s care and needs. She also must be good at assessing the patient level of understanding. This is necessary for her to pattern her health teaching according to her audience’s lever of comprehension.
Published at: 10/15/2015
