CNM Applicant - Lack of Direct Experience?

[poppysmom]

hi all!

this is my first post - i'm so glad to have found this community. i have felt a calling to midwifery since i started learning more about the birth process, birthing options, and norms in the us while pregnant with my daughter last year. i want to devote my life to empowering women with the knowledge and support to have the best pregnancies and births possible.

i am interested in hearing your advice on what i can do to make my cnm application stronger. i am currently a cpa, and work in the finance department of an international human rights ngo. my undergrad gpa is 3.74, and i am working towards a 4.0 in my prereqs. i work full-time, and my husband has a very consuming job that requires much of his time in the evenings and on the weekends, so as a new mom, i have not had much time to pursue volunteer activities, or opportunities to gain birth experience. i also admittedly have a serious lack of volunteering or community involvment in the recent past - recent civic involvement consists mostly of work on the obama campaign, and i am currently getting involved with doing some volunteer fundraising for a local birth center. i also have some international volunteer teaching experience within the last 10 years, though nothing in the medical field. i am currently in the process of becoming a doula, and hope to become certified in the next few months. once certified, i hope to volunteer with a local hospital, or couples who could not otherwise afford a doula.

was/is anyone else in the same position of making a major career change, and how did your application process go?

thanks for any input you may have.

[cookderosa]

hi all!

this is my first post - i'm so glad to have found this community. i have felt a calling to midwifery since i started learning more about the birth process, birthing options, and norms in the us while pregnant with my daughter last year. i want to devote my life to empowering women with the knowledge and support to have the best pregnancies and births possible.

i am interested in hearing your advice on what i can do to make my cnm application stronger. i am currently a cpa, and work in the finance department of an international human rights ngo. my undergrad gpa is 3.74, and i am working towards a 4.0 in my prereqs. i work full-time, and my husband has a very consuming job that requires much of his time in the evenings and on the weekends, so as a new mom, i have not had much time to pursue volunteer activities, or opportunities to gain birth experience. i also admittedly have a serious lack of volunteering or community involvment in the recent past - recent civic involvement consists mostly of work on the obama campaign, and i am currently getting involved with doing some volunteer fundraising for a local birth center. i also have some international volunteer teaching experience within the last 10 years, though nothing in the medical field. i am currently in the process of becoming a doula, and hope to become certified in the next few months. once certified, i hope to volunteer with a local hospital, or couples who could not otherwise afford a doula.

was/is anyone else in the same position of making a major career change, and how did your application process go?

thanks for any input you may have.

since i'm not yet accepted into a midwifery program, i can't address that part of your question, however i just wanted to encourage you. i'm also a career changer- i'm leaving behind 20 years. like you, i'm trying to decide how to best frame my prior resume. in my other career, my resume is strong, so i'm not used to being entry level (mentally lol). i have doula experience as well, and really have wanted to become a midwife for about 10 years- but it took a lot of twists and turns over those 10 years for me to finally decide to jump in. that said, i don't know if you have certified nurse aid programs by you,but i'm completing one now. once certified, i'm applying for a job in l&d as an aid (called patient tech) so i hope to bring in that experience. honestly, i have debated about putting/not putting my doula experience in my application. i'm not 100% sure if it helps or hurts an applicant.

[lmazz]

It sounds like you are doing what you need to be doing... becoming a Doula, volunteering for a local birth center... It also sounds like you have some great leadership experience! You could always look into and attending some conferences on Childbirth and Midwifery.

If you can afford to take a MAJOR pay cut, applying to a local hospital's L&D or Maternity Department would be one way of getting closer to direct experience. You don't always have to be certified to work in a hospital as a nursing assistant. They often have their own training programs.

[CNM2B]

Are you planning to apply to a graduate entry program (an MS in nursing with a specialization in midwifery for non-nurses with a BA or BS in a non-nursing field), or get your RN and then apply to a CNM program? From what I understand, prior birth experience isn't really expected from applicants to the grad entry programs. Grades and class diversity (a variety of academic backgrounds) seem very important.

Depending on the state you live in, another option is the CM (Certified Midwife). The CM is accreditedy by the ACNM (American College of Nurse-Midwives) just like the CNM, but is designed as a route into midwifery for non-nurses (applicants must have a BA or BS and have certain prereqs finished). They have the same scope of practice and licensure process, but they aren't nurses. A handful of states are currently licensing CM's and I believe that will increase. I just read in the ACNM newsletter 'Quickening' that Phildelphia University was just accredited to begin a distance CM program starting this fall. That might be another option to consider!

Good luck on your journey!

[arabianeyez83]

Are you planning on going to nursing school?