Quick stats: The midwifery industry has a big turnover. A survey showed that around 41% of midwives left due to burnout. The University of Queensland explains the demanding job, “The role of a midwife can encompass several stages of care, from prenatal to labor and birth, postnatal and neonatal.”
So are you a midwife who wants out? Maybe you’re burnt out or just need a new scenario or practice. If so, you’ll want to look for alternative jobs with a midwifery degree.
I’m here to help. I’ll list 12 alternative career options for a midwife. This way, you can find the perfect fit for you.
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12 Alternative Career Options for a Midwife
If you’re changing careers and leaving midwifery, here are 12 alternative career options for a midwife:
- Community midwifery
- International aid
- Travel Nurse
- Antenatal care
- Public Health Nurse
- Neonatal care
- Forensic Nurse
- Childbirth Educator
- School Nurse
- Fertility Nurse
- Birth Photographer
- Obstetrician and Gynecologist (O&G)
1. Community midwifery
OK, maybe you don’t want to leave the industry at all. You only want to leave your current environment. Well, a good career option for midwives in this situation is to simply change your environment or institution.
Remember, you don’t want to waste your bachelor of midwifery. So why not become a community midwife? Here, you’ll be helping women with childbirth outside the hospital.
Maybe the new mom wants to give birth in her home or a birthing center. This will make it less stressful for both mother and midwife.
2. International aid
Midwifery graduates can help women in developing countries. As an international aid, you get to fly out to help these women, whether pregnant, birthing, new mothers or just women affected by conflict and natural disasters.
Here’s what The University of Queensland says:
Working in humanitarian aid as a midwife can be incredibly rewarding, but it’s also very challenging. It requires great strength of character, compassion, determination, and teamwork. A willingness to travel is obviously essential, as is the expectation that you may need to give up the daily comforts you’re accustomed to.
3. Travel Nurse
Say you want completely different jobs after leaving midwifery. You don’t want to deal with mom-to-be or new moms. However, you still want to be in the nurse scene.
Well, you can decide to become a travel nurse. As a travel nurse, you can apply in any location you like. Your role may involve helping hospitals with nurse shortages or providing your expertise in specific areas where it’s needed.
NOTE: For this, you may have to be a certified nurse assistant or registered nurse.
4. Antenatal care
A general midwife takes care of LOTS of things – before birth, during birth, and after birth. If that’s too demanding, you can choose to focus on antenatal care.
Here, you team up with pregnant women, their partners, families, and intended parents. You’ll offer them support, advice, knowledge, and assistance throughout the pregnancy and leading up to labor. Your job is more of a consultant than an actual nurse.
5. Public Health Nurse
Want to help everyone in need and not just mothers? Then a public health nurse might be your forte. Again, you’ll need an RN license for this.
For this job, you’ll carry out health screenings and give medications. You’ll also educate communities about healthy living and disease prevention.
If you’re a public health nurse, you’ll find yourself working in county and city health departments, mobile healthcare units, and federal health organizations.
6. Neonatal care
Here’s another narrow-focused midwifery job. When you deal with neonatal care, you’ll be focusing on toddlers and infants, whether sick or well.
If the infant is well, you’ll help the parents take care of it for their first 28 days. You’ll find yourself in postnatal wards or the community.
As for sick babies, you’ll most likely be in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). As you help them recover to full health, you’ll also be a source of comfort to the parents.
7. Forensic Nurse
In the field of forensic nursing, you get to experience the best of both healthcare and the legal system. You’ll find yourself working not just in healthcare facilities and labs but also in law courts.
Your role involves assessing cases of sexual and physical assault crimes, as well as accidental deaths. If you’re in for a thrill, then you might want to change from a midwife to a forensic nurse. You can even choose to be a forensic midwife.
8. Childbirth Educator
With a degree in midwifery, you can choose to be a childbirth educator. Here, you’ll be the one to educate and support partners who are planning on having a baby. You’ll help them with pregnancy problems, answer their questions, and more.
As the team at Refreshing a Career likes to put it:
Think of it like a midwife who only deals with the educational and advice part of pregnancy.
9. School Nurse
Still want to deal with children? Then one job after leaving midwifery can be a school nurse. At school, children get injuries, illnesses, bumps, bruises, first aid concerns, and even chronic conditions.
As the school nurse, you’ll be the one to check them up. If the case is serious, you’ll advise their parents to take them to a healthcare facility, such as the NHS, for further checkups and care.
10. Fertility Nurse
With your midwifery degree, you can step into the role of a fertility nurse. This means you’ll be taking care of and advising individuals, couples, and families on matters related to reproductive health and fertility.
Moreover, you may also help with fertility treatment. This will see you creating personalized fertility plans for an individual, couple, or family depending on their medical history, reproductive health, etc…
11. Birth Photographer
Are you a midwife who has a good eye for photography? Then why not combine the two and become a birth photographer?
Your primary responsibility is to capture the emotional and intimate moments during the labor and delivery process. You will work closely with expectant parents to document the journey of childbirth, creating lasting memories through your photography.
12. Obstetrician and Gynecologist (O&G)
An obstetrician focuses on pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care. A gynecologist specializes in the health and well-being of the female reproductive system outside of pregnancy.
Combine the two, and you’ll be known as an O&G. Your role is to provide comprehensive healthcare for women, addressing both areas. If you want to stay close to the midwifery job, then this is a good place to go.
Final Words
Looking for alternative career options for a midwife? Then pick one of the 12 that I listed here. All these jobs are closely related to nursing and midwifery. So you’re sure to find one that suits YOU.
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