Midwife
SOC 29-1161.00 · ESCO 2222 · OSCA 265131
Role snapshot
Overview
Provides comprehensive care to women throughout pregnancy, labour, birth, and the postnatal period. This includes monitoring maternal and baby health, offering essential education and emotional support, and expertly managing normal physiological births while promptly identifying and addressing potential complications. Midwives work to empower women in their birthing choices and ensure safe outcomes.
Significantly impacts maternal and infant health by providing holistic, evidence-based care, promoting positive birth experiences, reducing interventions, and supporting families through a crucial life transition.
On the job
- Conduct antenatal appointments, assessing maternal and fetal health and providing health education
- Provide continuous support and monitoring during labour and birth, managing normal deliveries
- Perform postnatal checks for mother and baby, offering breastfeeding support and newborn care guidance
- Develop individualised care plans and refer to specialists when complications arise
- Maintain accurate and thorough medical records and documentation
Tools & technology
Average salary
Job outlook
GrowingJob growth is expected to be above average over the next five years.
Education & training
Midwives typically require specific education and clinical training, often at a bachelor's or master's level, followed by certification.
AI impact outlook
Note — this is our current view. AI is moving fast, so we revisit these ratings.
Show how this was assessed Hide the detail
Note — this is our current view. AI is moving fast, so we revisit these ratings.
Show how this was assessed Hide the detailWhy this role received this rating
Core task exposure
low
How much of the role’s important work could AI perform?
Monitoring maternal/fetal health data, record-keeping, and providing standardized health education are tasks that AI can support.
End-to-end automation
low
Can AI complete the work without substantial human involvement?
The dynamic, physical, and emotional nature of childbirth, requiring continuous human judgment and presence, prevents full automation.
Adoption pressure
moderate
How likely are employers to introduce AI into this work?
While monitoring technology is accepted, the highly human-centric and risk-averse nature of childbirth will limit the adoption of full automation.
Human dependence
strong
How much does success depend on human judgement, relationships and accountability?
Success is critically dependent on building trust, continuous emotional and physical support, expert clinical judgment during birth, and accountability for two lives.
Protective — a higher rating lowers the overall score.
Role adaptability
strong
How easily can the role evolve as AI takes on more tasks?
Midwifery practice adapts to evolving medical knowledge, cultural birthing practices, and individual preferences, showing strong adaptability.
Shown for context — not part of the score.
What AI may take on
These are the parts of the role most likely to be automated or significantly accelerated.
- Continuous monitoring and analysis of fetal vital signs
- Maintaining accurate and thorough medical records and documentation
- Providing personalized health education based on patient data
- Identifying potential complications through predictive analytics
- Scheduling antenatal and postnatal appointments
Where people remain essential
These parts continue to depend heavily on human judgement, relationships and accountability.
- Providing continuous physical and emotional support during labour and birth
- Managing normal deliveries with hands-on skill and judgment
- Identifying and promptly addressing potential complications during birth
- Offering personalized breastfeeding support and newborn care guidance
- Developing individualized care plans with cultural sensitivity
- Building trust and empowering women in their birthing choices
- Making real-time, high-stakes decisions in the birthing suite
How the role may evolve
Beyond diagnostics, focusing on holistic birth support.
Midwives will increasingly rely on AI for routine monitoring and data analysis, allowing them to enhance their role in providing holistic physical and emotional support during the critical birthing process.
Strengthen your future fit
- Advanced clinical judgment and crisis management in obstetrics
- Exceptional communication and emotional intelligence
- Advocacy for women's birthing choices and preferences
- Proficiency in hands-on birthing techniques and interventions
- Continuous learning in evolving midwifery practices
- Assessment horizon
- 3–7 years
- Confidence
- High
- Last reviewed
- August 2026
- Methodology
- v1.0
This assessment reflects current AI capabilities and expected adoption patterns. Actual impacts will vary by industry, employer and the way each role is performed.
Career pathways
WHERE YOU COULD GO
CURRENT ROLE
Midwife
Nursing & Midwifery
ADJACENT MOVES
STARTING POINTS
Who thrives here
Interest profile
social · SIC
People who are deeply committed to caring for others, enjoy investigating complex health situations, and value precision in following protocols and documentation often thrive as midwives.
Personality characteristics
Conscientious
Exhibits meticulous attention to detail and adherence to safety protocols, critical for maternal and infant well-being.
Compassionate
Demonstrates deep empathy and a nurturing approach, providing emotional support to expectant and new parents.
Communicative
Engages effectively with patients, families, and healthcare teams, explaining complex information clearly and building trust.
Inquisitive
Driven to continuously learn, assess, and critically evaluate patient conditions to ensure optimal care.
Resilient
Manages high-stress situations, long hours, and emotionally challenging moments with composure and professionalism.
Best for
- Individuals passionate about women's health and empowering birthing people
- Those who thrive in dynamic clinical environments and can make critical decisions under pressure
- Professionals who enjoy a blend of direct patient interaction, medical assessment, and education
Watch out for
- The role often requires irregular hours, including nights, weekends, and being on-call
- It can be physically and emotionally demanding, requiring resilience in high-pressure situations
- While intellectually stimulating, the work is highly structured by medical protocols and regulations
A week in the life
A representative working week for a Midwife — where the deep work, meetings, and admin actually land.
Real people. Real results.
Thousands of people
can't be wrong.
Frequently asked questions about Midwife roles
What does a Midwife do?
A Midwife provides comprehensive care to women throughout pregnancy, labour, birth, and the postnatal period. This includes monitoring maternal and baby health, offering essential education and emotional support, and expertly managing normal physiological births while promptly identifying and addressing potential complications. Midwives work to empower women in their birthing choices and ensure safe outcomes. Significantly impacts maternal and infant health by providing holistic, evidence-based care, promoting positive birth experiences, reducing interventions, and supporting families through a crucial life transition.
How much does a Midwife earn?
A Midwife earns a median of $115,000 per year in the US, typically ranging from $85,000 to $140,000.
What qualifications do you need to become a Midwife?
To become a Midwife, midwives typically require specific education and clinical training, often at a bachelor's or master's level, followed by certification. State licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN) if applicable.
What personality suits a Midwife?
Midwife roles tend to suit people who are highly conscientious — precise, organised and strong on follow-through (Conscientiousness 82/100) and warm and cooperative — tuned in to the people around them (Agreeableness 82/100). The traits that matter most in the role are Conscientious, Compassionate, Communicative and Inquisitive. Exhibits meticulous attention to detail and adherence to safety protocols, critical for maternal and infant well-being. On interests, Midwife maps to a SIC Holland Code profile — people who are deeply committed to caring for others, enjoy investigating complex health situations, and value precision in following protocols and documentation often thrive as midwives.
Who does a Midwife role suit?
A Midwife role is usually a strong fit for these reasons. Strong Social (S) and Investigative (I) alignment: the role is centered on caring for people and applying critical thinking for health assessment and diagnosis. High Conscientiousness and Agreeableness are essential for patient safety, adherence to protocols, and empathetic care. The work pattern involves direct patient care, offering constant interaction and support to individuals and families.
What are the downsides of being a Midwife?
Midwife roles come with trade-offs worth weighing up. The role often requires irregular hours, including nights, weekends, and being on-call. It can be physically and emotionally demanding, requiring resilience in high-pressure situations. While intellectually stimulating, the work is highly structured by medical protocols and regulations.
What is the work environment like for a Midwife?
Work as a Midwife is mostly clinical-based with onsite arrangements common, semi-structured — a mix of set processes and self-directed work and high exposure to clients or stakeholders. Around 5% of the week is focused deep work.
What skills do you need to be a Midwife?
Core skills for a Midwife include Clinical assessment and diagnosis, Labour and birth management, Patient education and communication, Crisis intervention, Newborn care and Medical record keeping.
How do you become a Midwife?
Common entry routes into Midwife roles include Registered Nurse and Student Midwife.
What career progression is there for a Midwife?
From a Midwife role, common next steps include Senior Midwife and Midwifery Educator; lateral moves include Clinical Nurse Specialist (Maternity) and Lactation Consultant.
What is the job outlook for Midwife roles?
The outlook for Midwife roles is currently rated growing. Job growth is expected to be above average over the next five years.
Will AI replace Midwife roles?
Traitstack rates automation risk for Midwife roles at 31 out of 100, which is low. AI can support fetal monitoring and record-keeping, leaving midwives to focus on the dynamic process of birth, emotional support, and complex decision-making during delivery. AI is most likely to take on continuous monitoring and analysis of fetal vital signs, maintaining accurate and thorough medical records and documentation and providing personalized health education based on patient data. Providing continuous physical and emotional support during labour and birth, managing normal deliveries with hands-on skill and judgment and identifying and promptly addressing potential complications during birth stay with people. Beyond diagnostics, focusing on holistic birth support. That score measures how much of the work could change, not the likelihood the job disappears. It is Traitstack's current view, revisited as AI capability moves.