NP-OB vs. Midwife

1. 1 I am greatly interested in focusing my nursing career on obstetrics. However, I am even more intrigued by the idea of helping mothers' decrease their risk for delivery complications by encouraging a healthy pregnancy. I amnearing a crossroads in my path to nursing--one path leads to midwifery and the other to NP with OB emphasis. Are there particular demographics or geographics that better suited to one practice? What are some defining differences of each, both beneficial and detrimental?

   Last edit by Joe V on Sep 17, '12

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2. 6 Comments

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3. 
   #1 0

   Sep 17, '12 by perioddrama

   From what I understand, a midwife can deliver babies. An NP cannot.
4. 
   #2 0

   Sep 19, '12 by IrishIzCPNP, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP

   If you want to catch babies...CNM. If you don't want to catch babies...NP.
5. 
   #3 0

   Sep 21, '12 by slfranco

   Hmm. . .Good to know! I had found little to clarify that, and I had both heard that NP's could and couldn't deliver. Thank you
6. 
   #4 0

   Sep 21, '12 by BlueDevil,DNP

   As a FNP I can monitor a health pregnancy and delivery routine prenatal care. I cannot attend deliveries. Patients would be attended to by whomever is on call for OB when they present to the birthing center or hospital in labor. I present this as a hypothetical because as it stands I choose not to offer prenatal care, though I do provide "sick visits" to pregnant women, as most often OBs and midwifes are handling ONLY the prenatal care and sending them back to primary care for everything else.
7. 
   #5 0

   Sep 26, '12 by slfranco

   You present some great considerations, thank you. I find it especially helpful to consider the ability to provide sick visit care rather than strict OB care. If you don't mind my asking, at what type of facility or from what base location do you work?
8. 
   #6 0

   Sep 26, '12 by BlueDevil,DNP

   Private, for-profit, family practice clinic.

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