Is a nurse practitioner a nurse midwife?

Nurse-Midwives (CNM) and Nurse Practitioners (NP) are both Advanced Practice Nurses (APN) with a Master's degree in nursing (MSN). There are two other types of APNs, Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) and Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS). All four types of APNs take some of the same basic MSN classes such as pathophysiology, pharmacology, advanced physical assessment, research, theory, etc. After these basic classes students specialize as Midwives, NPs, CRNAs or CNSs. Nurse-Midwives are not nurse practitioners, however they can perform some of the same functions as NPs in the birth setting such as ordering diagnostic tests, and writing related prescriptions. Some CNMs may choose to become certified as NPs by going back to school and taking the classes and clinical rotations NPs take, or vice versa some NPs may later decide to become certified as CNMs. In 2015, all APNs, including nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives, will be required to graduate with the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) instead of the master's (MSN) degree, in order to become certified.