Guiding Expansion and Diversification in the Midwifery Workforce
Conference Year
January 2021
Abstract
In recent years, there has been an increase in out-of-hospital and midwife attended births in the United States. Accordingly, it has been proposed that there is an increasing demand for midwives to be trained and retained within the healthcare system. This report serves as an outline on the current birthing trends in the United States, provides data surrounding the safety and propriety of midwife led births, discusses the challenges faced by the profession and attempts to paint a picture of who makes up the midwifery workforce itself. After beginning with a comprehensive review of the current literature, an analysis of trends in midwifery is used to draw hypothesis interpreting the literature.
Its intention is to draw attention to gaps in the Certified Professional Midwife workforce and ultimately guide expansion of the workforce to address specific challenges faced by midwives in the United States
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Deborah Hinchey
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Program/Major
Health Sciences
Primary Research Category
Health Sciences
Guiding Expansion and Diversification in the Midwifery Workforce
In recent years, there has been an increase in out-of-hospital and midwife attended births in the United States. Accordingly, it has been proposed that there is an increasing demand for midwives to be trained and retained within the healthcare system. This report serves as an outline on the current birthing trends in the United States, provides data surrounding the safety and propriety of midwife led births, discusses the challenges faced by the profession and attempts to paint a picture of who makes up the midwifery workforce itself. After beginning with a comprehensive review of the current literature, an analysis of trends in midwifery is used to draw hypothesis interpreting the literature.
Its intention is to draw attention to gaps in the Certified Professional Midwife workforce and ultimately guide expansion of the workforce to address specific challenges faced by midwives in the United States