Nurse-midwifery students from Rutgers School of Nursing are gaining expanded clinical training opportunities through a new partnership with Axia Women’s Health, placing future nurse-midwives in real-world care settings across more than 100 locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The collaboration is designed to strengthen hands-on clinical education while supporting the growing demand for midwifery care and advanced practice providers in women’s health.

Midwifery Care Continues to Expand Nationwide

As midwifery care continues to gain traction nationwide, the partnership reflects broader shifts in how maternity and women’s health services are delivered. In the United States, midwives now attend approximately 12 percent of births, a figure that has steadily increased over the past decade as patient demand rises and health systems expand team-based care models.

Expanding Clinical Training for Future Nurse-Midwives

Workforce pressures are also shaping the need for expanded training pathways. The Association of American Colleges and Universities projects a shortage of 86,000 physicians by 2036, highlighting the increasingly critical role advanced practice providers, including nurse-midwives, play in expanding access to care and supporting positive outcomes in women’s health.

Evidence Highlights Benefits of Midwifery Care

Research has shown that midwifery care can reduce cesarean section rates and increase successful vaginal births in low-risk populations, lowering the risk of complications for expectant mothers while supporting patient-centered birth experiences.

Health System Leaders Emphasize Collaborative Care

“We’re proud to help train and support the next generation of advanced practice providers. These providers play a critical role each day in our care centers, working in collaboration with our physicians to provide high-quality, patient-centered, comprehensive, and cost-effective women’s health care,” shares Dr. Thomas Dardarian, chief medical officer at Axia Women’s Health.

Nursing Education Leaders Focus on Student Readines

From an academic perspective, the partnership also addresses the growing need for high-quality clinical placement opportunities for nursing students preparing for advanced practice roles.

“This partnership is an exciting opportunity to expand our clinical site options for students,” said Julie Blumenfeld, clinical associate professor and nurse-midwifery program director at Rutgers School of Nursing. “We’re thrilled to be working with the highly skilled providers at Axia Women’s Health to ensure our students graduate with the relevant skills needed to deliver exceptional patient care with confidence and compassion.”

Partnership Now Underway Across New Jersey and Pennsylvania

The partnership is now in effect, with nurse-midwifery students actively being placed across Axia Women’s Health locations throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Both organizations expect placement capacity to increase in the years ahead as demand for midwifery education and services continues to grow. The collaboration represents another expansion of Axia Women’s Health’s partnerships with leading institutions in the communities it serves.