Midwife
Support women through pregnancy, labour and birth while providing specialised care for mothers and newborn babies.
What They Do
Midwives provide healthcare, advice and emotional support throughout pregnancy, labour, birth and the period following childbirth.
They monitor the health of mothers and babies, assess pregnancy progress, support labour and birth, recognise complications requiring medical intervention and provide postnatal care.
Midwives also educate families about breastfeeding, newborn care, reproductive health, nutrition and preparing for parenthood. They work closely with obstetricians, nurses and other healthcare professionals when additional medical care is required.
Who This Career Suits
Midwifery suits people who enjoy healthcare but particularly value building close relationships with patients during major life events.
Strong Midwives need empathy, excellent communication and clinical judgement. They also need to remain calm when labour or pregnancy becomes unpredictable and recognise quickly when specialist medical intervention is required.
The profession can involve emotionally intense situations, shift work and significant responsibility.
Key Skills
Clinical Judgement, Communication, Compassion & Empathy, Patient Care, Decision Making, Observation, Teamwork, Resilience
Work Environment
Hospital, Healthcare Facility, Community, Indoor, Team-Based
Education & Training
Becoming a Midwife in Australia requires completion of a Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia-approved program of study that leads to registration.
Approved pathways include standalone Bachelor of Midwifery programs, combined Nursing/Midwifery degrees and a range of graduate-entry or postgraduate midwifery programs. AHPRA
Graduates must apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia before practising as registered Midwives.
Career Changer Pathway
People can enter midwifery directly through an approved undergraduate Midwifery degree.
Registered Nurses may also be eligible for postgraduate or graduate-diploma pathways that lead to Midwife registration.
Some universities offer graduate-entry Midwifery programs for applicants with suitable previous tertiary study, although entry requirements differ between institutions.
Because Midwife is a regulated health profession, relevant experience alone cannot replace an approved qualification and registration.
Early Career
Graduate Midwives build confidence in antenatal assessments, labour support, birth care, newborn assessment and postnatal care.
They generally work alongside experienced Midwives and medical staff while developing independent clinical judgement.
Mid Career
Experienced Midwives manage a broad range of pregnancies and births and may develop expertise in areas such as birthing suites, antenatal care, postnatal care, breastfeeding support or continuity-of-care models.
They may also supervise students and newly qualified Midwives.
Senior / Veteran Career
Senior Midwives can progress into roles such as Clinical Midwife Specialist, Clinical Midwife Consultant, Midwifery Unit Manager or educator.
Other pathways include research, healthcare management, maternity-service leadership and advanced practice.
Further approved education can also allow eligible Midwives to obtain endorsements relating to prescribing scheduled medicines.
Salary Guide
Early Career
85000
Mid Career
110000
Senior / Veteran
135000
Indicative annual salary (AUD)
Indicative annual salary (AUD)
Indicative annual salary (AUD)
Salary data source:
Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS
Salary data source URL:
Date :
6 October 2026 at 12:00:00 am
Career Outlook
Australia currently has about 19,400 Midwives. JSA's most recent annual employment measure showed a small decline of around 200 workers, but this does not mean demand is weak. Jobs and Skills Australia
JSA's shortage analysis has identified Midwives among occupations with particularly few suitable applicants for regional vacancies — around 2.4 applicants per vacancy in one recent analysis — highlighting continuing workforce pressure outside major metropolitan areas.
Job Outlook :
Outlook Source :
Strong
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