| Description: |
A Certified Nurse Midwife -- a registered nurse with additional training as a Midwife -- provides health care to women, especially during pregnancy and childbirth. Midwifery is based on the understanding that pregnancy and childbirth are natural processes and that health care should be personalized to meet the needs of a woman and her family. A Midwife typically provides prenatal care, assists the birth process, and offers emotional and psychological support to women and their families during the birth experience. Most can also perform gynecological checkups (including breast examinations and pap smears), provide birth-control advice, and manage the specific needs of menopause.
A Nurse Practitioner (NP) is a primary care provider who practices in ambulatory, acute, and long-term care settings. According to their practice specialty, NPs provide nursing and medical services to individuals, families, and groups. In addition to diagnosing and managing acute episodic and chronic illnesses, NPs emphasize health promotion and disease prevention. NPs are often responsible for ordering, conducting, and interpreting diagnostic and laboratory tests, and for prescription of pharmacologic agents and pharmacologic therapies. Teaching and counseling individuals, families, and groups is also a major part of a Nurse Practitioner’s practice. |