Midwifery programs prepare people to care for women and babies before, during, and after childbirth. Students learn about health and nutrition, basic obstetrics, childbirth, and newborn care. They learn to evaluate risks and refer patients. They also learn to advise patients and manage emergencies.

When people talk about the most significant events in their lives, the birth of their own children is usually one of them. In fact, it's a rare mother who disagrees with the statement that giving birth to her children was one of the most meaningful events in her life.

Some women feel that this personal experience deserves equally special circumstances. This includes where they give birth and who they're with. These women want to be able to have a say in these matters. When giving birth in a hospital does not meet a woman's needs, she often consults a midwife.

Midwives consider themselves the guardians of normal and natural birthing. They work in birth centers or in the private homes of their clients. They often ascribe to the values of naturopathic and homeopathic medicine. This means that they rely as much as possible on a human body's natural ability to heal and proceed through pregnancy and birth without the use of drugs or invasive procedures such as operations.

Although they are not doctors as obstetricians are, they are trained in all aspects of women's care. And they learn to screen pregnant women and refer or transfer high-risk cases to doctors when necessary.

As a student in this program, you learn how to examine both a woman and her fetus. You learn various therapeutic techniques such as plant medicine and oriental medicine. You learn about complications that may take place during labor and delivery. You also learn how to provide emotional and mental support to your patients. These are some of the many things you need to learn to become a midwife.

There are about ten schools in the U.S. that offer accredited midwifery programs. At most of them, you can earn either a certificate or an associate degree, which takes from one to three years of full-time study after high school.

Some of these programs also offer bachelor's degrees, which usually take four years, and a few programs grant master's and doctoral degrees as well. A master's degree generally takes about six years and a doctoral degree about ten to eleven.

Distance education is possible with some programs.