Salary and Workload of Midwives Across Birth Center Practice Types and State Regulatory Structures

Area of Science:

• Maternal and Child Health
• Health Services Research
• Nursing and Midwifery

Background:

• Midwifery-led birth centers are crucial for improving maternal and newborn health.
• Variations in birth center practice types and state regulations exist across the U.S.
• Understanding midwife compensation and workload is essential for workforce sustainability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between birth center practice variations and midwife pay and workload.
• To compare midwife compensation and workload within birth centers to national averages.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from the American Association of Birth Centers Practice Survey.
• Inclusion of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational employment and wage statistics.
• Examination of midwife salaries and reported hours worked across different birth center models.

Main Results:

• Significant variation in nurse-midwife salaries within birth centers, inconsistent with national data.
• Midwives in birth center settings report high working hours.
• Salaries for midwives in birth center-only practices are lower than those in blended hospital-birth center practices, irrespective of experience, location, or state regulations.

Conclusions:

• Further research is required to address the disparities in midwife salaries and workload within birth centers.
• Strategies are needed to align midwife compensation and workload with national averages to support the birth center model of care.