Nursing Roles Graphic Organizer: Abramowitz
Nurse Leader Certified Nurse Midwife
(CNM)
Observations
(Similarities/Differences)
Ethics Nurse leaders are primarily
responsible for the nurses and
the other staff th
...
Nursing Roles Graphic Organizer: Abramowitz
Nurse Leader Certified Nurse Midwife
(CNM)
Observations
(Similarities/Differences)
Ethics Nurse leaders are primarily
responsible for the nurses and
the other staff that are under
their supervision. They are
essential to the determination
of ethical nursing practice of
the nurses in their care.
The nurse leader has the
highest responsibility of the
development and maintenance
of the standards of care for
their staff and supervising their
use (Muller, 2018, p. 96).
The nurse leaders are
educators and role-models of
ethical nursing practice for the
nurses that observe them.
Ethical leaders must
demonstrate their ethics-based
values, invite open
communication, and be
mindful of their nurses’ health
and work-life balance
(Hemberg et al., 2018).
The nurse leader is responsible
for the review of the ethical
The CNM has a primary ethical
responsibility to her patient and
their family. The CNM focuses
on care of the woman through
pre-conception, pregnancy,
birth, and beyond.
The CNM has the responsibility
to maintain care ethics that
humanize childbirth by
focusing on woman-centered
care that respects the
physiology of birth and the
woman’s bodily autonomy
(Newnham & Kirkham, 2019).
As a clinician, the CNM has a
responsibility to maintain
patient privacy, provide
unbiased care, and educate the
patients on available choices
without bias.
The CNM is also charged with
protecting their patients and
colleagues from practices that
may be harmful, incompetent,
or unethical and report as
legally required to do
Similarities:
Although the Nurse Leader and the
CNM have responsibilities derived
from the goals of their roles, they
both share the responsibility to
“promote health, to prevent illness,
restore health, and to alleviate
suffering” (International Council of
Nurses 2012, as cited in Grace, 2018,
p.36).
Both professions also have a
responsibility to themselves and the
image they project of their roles in
the public eye. They must maintain
sufficient health and sound
judgement to avoid compromise of
care and must also conduct
themselves in a way that maintains
public trust (Grace, 2018, p. 42).
Differences:
The nurse leader is focused on the
ethical behavior they demonstrate as
well as the ethical behavior of their
staff that they oversee.
The CNM is focused on the ethical
behavior that they demonstrate and
ABRAMOWITZ NURSING ROLES GRAPHIC ORGANIZER
Nursing Roles Graphic Organizer Page 2
behavior of the nurses they
oversee. Nurses that
demonstrate high quality being
praised and constructive
criticism for nurses needing
guidance. If there is notice of
blatant ethical transgressions,
the nurse leader may need to
discipline if it is warranted.
(American College of Nurse
Midwives, 2015).
the ethical responsibilities that they
owe to their patients.
Both the nurse leader and the CNM
work to create ethical relationships,
the difference being that the nurse
leader develops that relationship with
her staff and the CNM develops that
relationship with her patients and
their families.
Education At minimum, the Nurse Leader
need the minimum of a
Bachelor’s degree to reach a
nurse management with a
Master’s degree preferred for
manager, but required for
higher administration (Nurse
Administrator Career Guide,
2020).
Additional certification is
available from the ANCC as a
Nurse Executive and Nurse
Executive-Advanced to
demonstrate further knowledge
of executive level education in
nursing management (Nurse
Executive Certification (NEBC), 2020).
The American Organization for
Nursing Leadership (2020)
Certified Nurse Midwives are
under the umbrella of
Advanced Practice Registered
Nurses (APRNs). They are not
to be confused with Certified
Midwives who are midwives
that do not hold a registered
nursing license.
The CNM is required to have
obtained a registered nursing
license and have gone on to
obtain their Master’s degree at
least, but they may obtain a
Doctoral degree. Their RN
license must be valid and they
must have received certification
from the American Midwifery
Certification Board (AMCB) to
be designated as a C
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