Midwifery School in South Carolina - SC

South Carolina midwifery has an interesting history.  In 1976, the state took action to end the practice of allowing traditional midwives to assist with births.  There was such a public outcry, though, from South Carolina’s citizens that the state chose to reinstitute the practice and regulate it instead.  In 1982, South Carolina began its current method of licensing midwives.  The practice has stayed because it works.  In South Carolina, and elsewhere, midwives have been shown to be highly effective in supporting healthy births… and healthy babies.

There are two ways to become a midwife in South Carolina.  Some midwives have nurse’s training, and assist with women’s health in a variety of capacities, not necessarily related to maternal care.  Others have entered the field through maternity-centered midwifery programs approved by the state, and have a somewhat more limited set of job duties. 

Just as there are two types of midwife, there are also two types of midwifery courses in South Carolina. Nurse midwives have a master’s level education.  They often complete nursing school and then go back to midwifery school, though some merge the two steps.  Direct entry midwives may also have a course of study that spans just a couple years.