Enter your location at the top of this page to find opportunities at health organizations near you. Being involved at any level will help you figure out if this area is something you're interested in!

Find a volunteer position in health and medicine.

Empathy is an integral part of our human nature. It is a skill ingrained in us, but it can also be learned and improved upon. Explore ways to develop your empathy and be more successful in life.

Watch a TED Talk about empathy.

Read about a day in the life of a midwife to get a glimpse at what work might look like in this career. Is this something you're interested in?

Learn about a day in the life of a midwife.

It's common for midwives to guide laboring mothers through patterned breathing. Read about the method then practice guiding a friend or family member—labor not required!

Learn about patterned breathing.

The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

Midwives

Provide prenatal care and childbirth assistance.

Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.

Social

Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.

Investigative

Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.

Realistic

Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Conventional

Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.

Enterprising

Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.

Artistic

Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Actively looking for ways to help people.

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Miscellaneous Health Practitioners and Technical Workers

Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other

Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

Monitor maternal condition during labor by checking vital signs, monitoring uterine contractions, or performing physical examinations.

Identify tubal and ectopic pregnancies and refer patients for treatments.

Provide necessary medical care for infants at birth, including emergency care such as resuscitation.

Conduct ongoing prenatal health assessments, tracking changes in physical and emotional health.

Monitor fetal growth and well-being through heartbeat detection, body measurement, and palpation.

Establish and follow emergency or contingency plans for mothers and newborns.

Identify, monitor, or treat pregnancy-related problems such as hypertension, gestational diabetes, pre-term labor, or retarded fetal growth.

Obtain complete health and medical histories from patients including medical, surgical, reproductive, or mental health histories.

Evaluate patients' laboratory and medical records, requesting assistance from other practitioners when necessary.

Maintain documentation of all patients' contacts, reviewing and updating records as necessary.

MEDITECH software

Patient electronic medical record EMR software

Private Practice

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Excel

Email software

Extensible markup language XML

Microsoft Office software

Microsoft Word

Web browser software

AS/400 Database

Mosquito forceps

Surgical tissue forceps

Umbilical cord clamps

Episiotomy scissors

Umbilical cord scissors

Therapeutic cold packs

Therapeutic hot packs

External fetal monitors

Automated external defibrillators AED

Mechanical intermittent positive pressure ventilators

Digital medical thermometers

Blood glucometers

Oxygen cylinders

Sterile blood lancets

Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.

Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.

Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks physically close to other people?

Very close (near touching)

Moderately close (at arm's length)

How frequently does your job require face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams?

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams

Every day

Once a week or more but not every day

How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

How frequently does your job require you to use E-mail?

How important is it to work with or contribute to a work group or team in this job?

Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team

Extremely important

Very important

How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?

A lot of freedom

Some freedom

What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer?

Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results

Very important results

Important results

How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

Constant contact with others

Contact with others most of the time

How often does this job require working indoors in an environmentally controlled environment (like a warehouse with air conditioning)?

How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?

Midwives

Overview

Career

What Midwives Do

Other Job Titles Midwives May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Midwives

Overview

Career

What Midwives Do

Other Job Titles Midwives May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Education

Level of Education Attained by Midwives

Majors Related to Career

Related Leaders