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

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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