Career change as a midwife
With your experience you can switch to 7 jobs in Germany: 3 with on-the-job training and 4 with training or a course.
In the job search you can sort by what matters to you, save jobs and see where they lead.
Career change paths
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Medical device consultant
Also: Field specialist advisor for infant nutrition
With on-the-job training
For manufacturers of infant formula, breast pumps or medical devices, you inform hospitals, midwives and doctors and train users.
- What you bring:
- You know what pregnant women, mothers and newborns need, and you know hospitals and practices from the inside.
- How to get there:
- Manufacturers train midwives on the job with product training. As a medical device consultant (Medizinprodukteberater), you need the legally required expertise (Sachkenntnis). Your midwifery training counts as training in a medical profession, and on top of that comes training on the specific products. Willingness to travel and a driving license class B are expected.*Regulated by law (Medical Devices Law Implementation Act (MPDG) § 83).
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people€5,550gross per monthMedian salary
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Medical coder in a hospital
Also: Employee in medical controlling
With on-the-job training
In medical controlling, you code diagnoses and services for billing, check files and answer inquiries from health insurance funds, usually without night shifts.
- What you bring:
- You know clinical presentations, treatments and documentation in the clinic precisely.
- How to get there:
- Hospitals train professionals from nursing and obstetrics on the job. A course to become a medical coder takes a few weeks to a few months, often alongside work.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an office€4,447gross per monthMedian salary
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Quality management officer in a hospital
Also: Risk manager in a hospital
With on-the-job training
As a quality or risk manager, you develop standards, analyze incidents and support certifications in the clinic.
- What you bring:
- You know processes, sources of error and emergencies in obstetrics, and you know how standards work in everyday practice.
- How to get there:
- Hospitals train professionals from nursing and obstetrics on the job; courses in quality management, for example at TÜV or DGQ, take a few weeks. You mostly work in the office during the day.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an office€4,565gross per monthMedian salary
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Head midwife
Also: Head of a delivery room
With further trainingPromotion
As head midwife, you plan shifts, lead the team, ensure quality and represent obstetrics to the hospital management.
- What you bring:
- You know obstetrics, teamwork in the delivery room and coordination with doctors and nurses.
- How to get there:
- Hospitals fill management positions with experienced midwives from their own staff or through job ads. Part-time further training in healthcare management is often expected; how long it takes depends on the provider.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Often at weekendsShift workLots of contact with people€5,350gross per monthMedian salary
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Family midwife at the public health office
Also: Coordinator for early help (Frühe Hilfen)
With further training
At the public health office or in early help networks, you look after families under strain over a longer period and coordinate help with the youth welfare office and doctors.
- What you bring:
- You accompany families around birth and recognize early when they need support.
- How to get there:
- Further training to become a family midwife (Familienhebamme) is regulated differently from state to state and comprises several hundred hours alongside work, for example about 400 in North Rhine-Westphalia. Afterwards, you work as an employee of a municipality or on a freelance basis. Working hours are more predictable than in the delivery room.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursLots of contact with people€4,331gross per monthMedian salary
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Lecturer in the midwifery degree program
Also: Practice coordinator at a university
With a degree
You teach students, support practical placements and help with exams and curricula.
- What you bring:
- Midwifery training now takes place as a degree program at universities, where there are positions in teaching and practice support.
- How to get there:
- Under the Midwifery Act (Hebammengesetz), teaching staff need at least the degree awarded at the end of the midwifery program. Universities may also require a master's degree for teaching positions, which you can also earn alongside work. For practice support, the universities set the requirements themselves. Professorships usually require a doctorate.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contact€6,119gross per monthMedian salary
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Sex educator
Also: Family education officer
With further training
At counseling centers, family education centers or schools, you design courses and projects on sex education and parent education.
- What you bring:
- You speak openly about the body, contraception, pregnancy and birth and find the right tone for different people.
- How to get there:
- Professional societies and institutes offer further training in sex education alongside work, and how long it takes depends on the provider. Family education centers also employ midwives as course leaders without it. There are also part-time or freelance positions.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people€5,254gross per monthMedian salary
Salary: median of all full-time employees in the job, gross per month excluding special payments, as of April 2025. Half earn more, half earn less. Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), table 62361-0030, license dl-de/by-2-0. Assigned to the jobs by quereinsteiger.de. No guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently asked questions
Which jobs can I do as a midwife without vocational training or retraining?
Without a new qualification, often with on-the-job training: Medical device consultant, Medical coder in a hospital and Quality management officer in a hospital.
Which retraining or further training suits me as a midwife?
With vocational training, retraining, further training or a course: Head midwife, Family midwife at the public health office, Lecturer in the midwifery degree program and Sex educator.
What promotion options do I have as a midwife?
Promotions include, for example: Head midwife.
Which of these jobs pay the most?
According to official statistics, the highest median full-time salaries are: Lecturer in the midwifery degree program (€6,119 gross per month), Medical device consultant (€5,550 gross per month) and Head midwife (€5,350 gross per month). Half of employees earn more, half earn less; when you start it is often lower. Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), April 2025. No guarantee of accuracy.
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