Nurse midwives are in demand. The extreme shortage of maternity care providers means that there is a high demand for the quality of care provided by nurse midwives. Nurse midwives can work in a number of settings (birth centers, hospitals, private or public clinics) and apply their education to multiple ends (teaching, advocacy, research, public education). Women seek midwives for primary health care services, prenatal care, birth, postpartum care, gynecological care, and birth control. Midwives empower women to take more active roles in making decisions about their health and lifestyle habits, and derive personal satisfaction and respect from making a difference in women's lives. Midwifery is a dynamic practice. While midwives learn an art that often reduces the need for high-tech interventions, they are also highly skilled practitioners educated to make individualized assessments when caring for women and their newborns including varied forms of technology as indicated.