How to Become a Midwife

Video Transcript

"Hello, my name is Mark MacBayne. I'm the practice administrator for hematology oncology and adult bone marrow transplant at UCSF Medical Center. I'm here today to talk about how to become a midwife. Typically, midwives are advanced practice nurses who have specialized training in midwifery, or the delivery of babies. You begin a career as a midwife by becoming a registered nurse. Typically, if you want to become an advanced practice nurse, this would involve a four year nursing degree at a college or university. Upon completion of your four year degree in nursing, you must take the licensing exam for nurses and upon passing, will become an RN or a registered nurse. The next step is to gain some practical work experience as a nurse. If you're interested in midwifery, you would probably to practice on an OB floor at a hospital. This would give you the most relevant experience and upon completing a certain period of time, probably two years of more of practical experience in nursing on an OB floor, then you would be ready to apply for an advanced practice nursing program in midwifery. This is an additional two year course of study, and typically at the end confers upon the study a masters degree in nursing and in particular in this case midwifery. You will then be ready to go out and practice as a midwife on an obstetric floor delivering babies. This is Mark MacBayne, adult hematology oncology practice administrator at UCSF Medical Center."