Doula vs nurse midwife

The differences between doulas and nurse midwives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a nurse midwife has an average salary of $74,490, which is higher than the $51,691 average annual salary of a doula.

The top three skills for a doula include childbirth education, patients and emotional support. The most important skills for a nurse midwife are patients, OB, and CNM.

Doula vs nurse midwife overview

	Doula	Nurse Midwife
Yearly salary	$51,691	$74,490
Hourly rate	$24.85	$35.81
Growth rate	-	6%
Number of jobs	67	251,337
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age	42	44
Years of experience	-	2

Doula vs nurse midwife salary

Doulas and nurse midwives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Doula	Nurse Midwife
Average salary	$51,691	$74,490
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $108,000	Between $49,000 And $111,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between doula and nurse midwife education

There are a few differences between a doula and a nurse midwife in terms of educational background:

	Doula	Nurse Midwife
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	Duke University

Doula vs nurse midwife demographics

Here are the differences between doulas' and nurse midwives' demographics:

	Doula	Nurse Midwife
Average age	42	44
Gender ratio	Male, 5.7% Female, 94.3%	Male, 6.9% Female, 93.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 6.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 6.7% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 9.9% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	6%	9%

Differences between doula and nurse midwife duties and responsibilities

Doula example responsibilities.

Freelance henna tattoo artist; can draw free hand designs or use stencils.
Market and advertise services via flyers, business cards, Facebook, etc.
Provide in-patient counseling and emotional support to terminally ill patients and their families.
Train in cross-contamination and CPR.
Update online website and Facebook.
Certify in blood-borne pathogens, basic first aid, and CPR.

Nurse midwife example responsibilities.

Full scope CNM care for busy manage healthcare facility and hospital.
Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
Provide tracheostomy care, trauma, burns, diabetic care.
Participate in the clinical education of ob residents, medical and nursing students.
Assist in bedside surgery, all types of ventilation, arterial and venous lines.
Diagnose, monitor and examine women and foetus during pregnancy, labour and delivery.

Doula vs nurse midwife skills

Common doula skills

Childbirth Education, 23%
Patients, 18%
Emotional Support, 8%
Doulas, 7%
Physical Support, 6%
Informational Support, 5%

Common nurse midwife skills

Patients, 28%
OB, 10%
CNM, 10%
Patient Care, 8%
CPR, 7%
Midwifery, 5%

Updated January 8, 2025

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