How Much Money Does a Nurse Midwife Make?
Nurse midwives are advanced practice registered nurses. These health care professionals care for women before, during and after pregnancy including labor and delivery. Nurse midwives may perform gynecological exams, offer advice regarding family planning and provide well-woman primary care services. Nurse midwives have extensive experience as registered nurses and are highly educated, typically holding at least a master's degree. Nurse midwives are among the most highly compensated of all registered nurses.
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Registered Nurse
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All nurse midwives are advanced practice registered nurses. Wages for registered nurses in the United States ranged from less than $43,970 per year to more than $93,700 per year as of May 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. The median annual wage for all registered nurses in the U.S. was $63,750.
Advanced Practice Nurse
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Advanced practice nurses include nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse anesthetists and nurse midwives. Advanced practice nurses must typically hold a master's degree or a doctorate. Advanced practice nurses typically earn a higher average rate of pay than other registered nurses. Scrubs Magazine identifies three advanced practice nurse specialties among the top five highest paying nurse specialties. Certified nurse midwives placed fourth on the list with an average annual compensation of $84,000.
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Considerations
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A number of factors can affect the pay rate of a nurse midwife, according to the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACMW), including education and experience. The ACMW's 2007 survey of nurse midwives revealed a median salary range of between $79,093 and $89,916 per year for those who worked full time. The majority of employment opportunities for nurse midwives were in hospitals or physicians' offices. Fewer than 4 percent of nurse midwives were self-employed.
Benefits
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Approximately 26 percent of nurse midwives earned a productivity bonus, according to the ACNM. Common benefits for nurse midwives include paid vacation and personal time off, employer contributions toward health and dental insurance, employer contributions toward retirement programs, and paid time off for continuing education classes. More than 15 percent of nurse midwives earned in excess of $100,000 per year, according to the ACNM.
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References
- American College of Nurse-Midwives: Compensation and Benefits Survey (pdf)
- American College of Nurse-Midwives: FAQs
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2009 29-1111 Registered Nurses
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Registered Nurses
- Scrubs: Top 10 highest paying nursing specialties
Resources
- Photo Credit operation nurse image by Andrey Rakhmatullin from Fotolia.com
