Male nurse midwife

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Is it a good choice for a male nurse to specialize in midwifery?

Specializes in hospice.

Blech, if I thought midwives behaved similarly to OBs, I would never consider becoming one! The midwifery model of care is completely different from the obstetrical one. If a man believes in the midwifery model and wants to be part of it, why should he be forced into a different profession because of his gender? Isn't that sexism?

OP there will be a lot of women uncomfortable with a male midwife, but that's mostly because of cultural training. Sure you'll be rare. Trailblazers always are. In my view, the more trained practitioners there are using the midwifery model, the better, so go for it.

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Blech, if I thought midwives behaved similarly to OBs, I would never consider becoming one! The midwifery model of care is completely different from the obstetrical one. If a man believes in the midwifery model and wants to be part of it, why should he be forced into a different profession because of his gender? Isn't that sexism?

OP there will be a lot of women uncomfortable with a male midwife, but that's mostly because of cultural training. Sure you'll be rare. Trailblazers always are. In my view, the more trained practitioners there are using the midwifery model, the better, so go for it.

I definitely don't mean the model of care is similar, I mean the similarities in their role and scope of practice, outside of performing surgery when it comes to low risk pregnancy and birth and uncomplicated GYN care as well. And although model of cares are vastly different, they aren't limited to the provider. I've heard of many a midwives that end up practicing the medical model of care, and, although smaller in numbers, OBs that practice midwifery model of care.

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Specializes in hospice.

I've experienced "med-wives" and OBs who practice more like midwives, but they're not the rule. I guess I'm just a little floored that a discussion is taking place in 2015 as to whether someone can pursue the career they want based solely on gender.

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I've experienced "med-wives" and OBs who practice more like midwives, but they're not the rule. I guess I'm just a little floored that a discussion is taking place in 2015 as to whether someone can pursue the career they want based solely on gender.

Agreed

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

I don't see why not I loved my male OB/Gyn

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

OK, for clarity. In the UK obstetrician and midwife are not synonyms. They are completely separate roles. As most births are in hospital they are delivered by midwives with doctor oversight only in difficult cases. There are very many midwife led units where there are no doctors at all. There are a lot of home-births with no doctor involvement, only the midwife.

Obstetricians tend to be male, midwives are (as the figures quoted show) overwhelmingly female.

The OP asked

Is it a good choice for a male nurse to specialize in midwifery?

I answered this from a male point of view - men in nursing, remember?

You do not have to like my reply but my point still stands. Why on earth would a male want to get involved in the politics, noise, mess and the drama of childbirth? And let's be honest here, how many times can you do the same thing? It must be like being the quarterback at the snap - 4-4-4 hut! Baby delivered. :roflmao: Less pay though. :whistling:

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

There needs to be some differentiation between midwives and nurse-midwives in the US for those out of US people. Nurse midwives are RNs and have a masters degree with certification as a CNM or certified nurse midwife. They can prescribe medications and deal with uncomplicated pregnancies and deliveries and see women in their office for OB/GYN issues. They either have their own office/birth center (which has to be x miles from a hospital) or they share an office with a physician.

Midwives may or may not have formal training. They don't necessarily have any sort of degree. They generally have no formal attachment to a hospital. They do a lot of home births. I guess someone could ask their midwife to go with them to the hospital. They can make suggestions but dont have any real authority with hospital staff.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.
There needs to be some differentiation between midwives and nurse-midwives in the US for those out of US people. Nurse midwives are RNs and have a masters degree with certification as a CNM or certified nurse midwife. They can prescribe medications and deal with uncomplicated pregnancies and deliveries and see women in their office for OB/GYN issues. They either have their own office/birth center (which has to be x miles from a hospital) or they share an office with a physician.

Midwives may or may not have formal training. They don't necessarily have any sort of degree. They generally have no formal attachment to a hospital. They do a lot of home births. I guess someone could ask their midwife to go with them to the hospital. They can make suggestions but dont have any real authority with hospital staff.

In UK the role is RM (registered midwife) they get a bit annoyed about being called nurses. It is a degree qualification through university and takes the same length of time as the RN qualification. They are not interchangeable.

I have heard midwives talking about "when they were a nurse" in the same way I talk about delivering newspapers as a boy - something I did a long time ago and have moved on from. Midwives work in the NHS, there are a few private ones but they find it difficult to get adequate insurance to cover their practice.

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OK, for clarity. In the UK obstetrician and midwife are not synonyms. They are completely separate roles. As most births are in hospital they are delivered by midwives with doctor oversight only in difficult cases. There are very many midwife led units where there are no doctors at all. There are a lot of home-births with no doctor involvement, only the midwife.

Obstetricians tend to be male, midwives are (as the figures quoted show) overwhelmingly female.

The OP asked

I answered this from a male point of view - men in nursing, remember?

You do not have to like my reply but my point still stands. Why on earth would a male want to get involved in the politics, noise, mess and the drama of childbirth? And let's be honest here, how many times can you do the same thing? It must be like being the quarterback at the snap - 4-4-4 hut! Baby delivered. :roflmao: Less pay though. :whistling:

Wow just wow. Politics noise mess and drama? If that's the case why would a male get involved in the politics noise mess and drama of nursing at all, after all it is a female majority profession. I don't think you an ACTUAL idea of what a midwife does, as your last few sentences would offend anyone involved in obstetrics , nurse, midwife or OB.

It's obvious that midwives and birthing in US and UK are very different,(with the US very much lacking). Like most of the other posters have said, it makes no difference , just like many women are comfortable with male OBS (who in the US attend to the majority of ALL pregnant women and attend most births), I don't think women would have issues with a male midwife, at least in a hospital/office setting, surprised, yes, but ultimately you'd be fine.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.
Wow just wow. Politics noise mess and drama? If that's the case why would a male get involved in the politics noise mess and drama of nursing at all, after all it is a female majority profession. I don't think you an ACTUAL idea of what a midwife does, as your last few sentences would offend anyone involved in obstetrics , nurse, midwife or OB.

You do realise that the last paragraph was meant tongue in cheek don't you......? I was taking the mickey just a little bit. I understand that sometimes Americans don't get irony but this was out and out humour.

It's obvious that midwives and birthing in US and UK are very different,(with the US very much lacking). Like most of the other posters have said, it makes no difference , just like many women are comfortable with male OBS (who in the US attend to the majority of ALL pregnant women and attend most births), I don't think women would have issues with a male midwife, at least in a hospital/office setting, surprised, yes, but ultimately you'd be fine.

Yes I agree there are differences.

I understand exactly what a (UK) midwife does - remember I stated right at the start that I had spent some time as a student in the labour suite where midwives do most of their work. I have even participated in a few births.

As far as I am aware very few women would have an issue with a male midwife but again I ask the question, Ewwwwww, why would you want to....? :nono::scrying:

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A nurse is a nurse is a nurse. I personally think it's a great idea if that's your passion. Go for it.

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... just like many women are comfortable with male OBS (who in the US attend to the majority of ALL pregnant women and attend most births).....
Not for much longer I suspect. In 1990, 22.4% of all OB-GYN's in the US were women - by 2010 the number had increased to 49%. Further, in 1990, 49% of all first year OB-GYN residents were women - by 2012 the number was 83%. (data from ACOG).

....................................

To the OP, if being a midwife is your passion, then go for it. Just be aware that you will likely face some roadblocks that you will need to negotiate. One of these is patient preference for gender of their OB-GYN provider.

Some brief cursory research turned up several studies that have been done regarding female patient's for the gender of their OB-GYN provider. Most I found had a relatively small sample size, anywhere from 125 to 500 patients, and the results were all over the place with results ranging from 22.8% to 53% of participating women strongly preferring female providers. The largest study was published by Kaiser Permanente in 1999 - they surveyed over 8400 patients, and the result was 52.2% of women preferred women providers.

There are a number of factors why a woman would choose to have a female provider, including cultural and religious reasons. Most female survivors of childhood sex abuse also prefer a female provider.

For some others, especially younger women, there is an "ick" factor involved as well. According to statistics from AAP, in 1990, 37% of pediatricians were female - by 2011, that number had increased to 57%. As a result, significantly more young women coming into childbearing age have never seen anyone but a female provider, and for many, seeing a male for intimate medical care is something they are not comfortable with. Because of this, I think the the number of women that strongly prefer a female OB-GYN provider is only going to continue to increase.

Like I said earlier, if being a midwife is your passion, then go for it. Just be aware of the potential hurdles.....

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