CNM Question

Yes, as a CNM delivers babies, who come at ANY time, you are required to be on call. Depending on what type of midwife you want to be your schedule will vary, but most all have "office hours" throughout the day. Prenatal checkups, postpartum checkups, lactation concerns, teaching,teaching,TEACHING will keep you busy. Not to mention you could deliver a few babies in between. If you work in a birthing center this could all be done there. Homebirth CNMs go to the client or the client can come to them. Hospital CNM's can also work much like Drs with office hours during the day and rotating call at night with their partners.

Yes, CNMs can induce labor.

As far as call, a lot of it depends on the practice. Where I work, there is one practice wherein there is a CNM at the hospital at all times. If she doesn't have any patients at a particular time, she might nap in the call room. But there is always a CNM at the hospital (large practice, and they almost always seem to have something going on - either triage or labor). They also have office/clinic hours. But no call at all. You're either at the clinic or the hospital, or you're at home and your time is yours.

Another practice only comes to the hospital when they have a woman in labor. Smaller practice, a couple days could go by without a pt, or there may be times when there are two patients there at once. They take call, because there's no point in sitting around the hospital if there's nobody there. They usually take call in 12 or 24-hour shifts. Plus, they do clinic/office hours as well.

Yes a midwife can induce labor..I was in induced d/t low amniotic fluid... The hospital where i work..no on call hours for midwives..they have enough midwives to have one 24 hrs...one comes in 7am-7pm..and one 7pm-7am.