Nurse midwifery. Advanced practice nursing?

This article traces the roots and history of nurse-midwifery in the United States in order to demonstrate the reality of midwifery as a profession in its own right. From its beginnings in the late 1920s, the profession has gradually evolved from its clear roots in nursing to an identity of its own expressed through its professional organization, the American College of Nurse-Midwives. A review of other countries' experiences with midwifery reflect much of the U.S. process and results. The future challenge for both professions is to determine how they can exist in harmony, recognizing that they are complementary roles.