Introduction: Expansion and diversification of the midwifery workforce is a federal strategy to address the maternal health crisis in the United States. Understanding characteristics of the current midwifery workforce is essential to creating approaches to its development. Certified nurse-midwives and certified midwives (CNMs/CMs) certified by the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) constitute the largest portion of the US midwifery workforce. This article aims to describe the current midwifery workforce based on data collected from all AMCB-certified midwives at the time of certification.
Methods: Midwife initial certificants and recertificants were administered an electronic survey about personal and practice characteristics at the time of certification by AMCB between 2016 and 2020 for administrative purposes. Given the standard 5-year certification cycle, every midwife certified during this period completed the survey once. The AMCB Research Committee conducted a secondary data analysis of deidentified data to describe the CNM/CM workforce.
Results: In 2020 there were 12,997 CNMs/CMs in the United States. The workforce was largely White and female with an average age of 49. There has been a slow increase (15% to 21%) of initial certificants identifying as midwives of color. The proportion of CMs to all AMCB-certified midwives remained less than 2%. Physician-owned practices were the most common employer. Approximately 60% of midwives attend births, and hospitals were the most common birth setting. Over 10% of those certified to practice reported not working within the discipline of midwifery.
Discussion: Targeted recruitment and retention of midwives must take into consideration not just expansion but dispersion, scope of practice, and diversification. The proportion of midwives attending births was lower than reported in previous years. Expansion of the CM credential and accessible educational pathways are 2 potential solutions to workforce growth. Developing strategies to retain those who are trained but not practicing presents an opportunity for workforce maintenance.
Keywords: health policy; midwifery education; midwifery professional issues; midwifery workforce; practice management.
© 2023 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.