Future CNM seeking advice

[mef06011]

Hi all!

I am a current college senior applying to nursing school (both ABSN and BSN/MSN programs) starting next year and plan to be a nurse-midwife. I decided to pursue the CNM route rather than the CPM one, simply for legality purposes. I was inspired to become a midwife by two home birth midwives I shadowed while I was abroad in Cape Town, South Africa.

I have been reading a lot, and have done a lot of reading and academic research about midwifery (my senior thesis is entitled "The Culture of Fear: The Impact of Reality Television on Young Women's Conceptions of Childbirth"). In my search, I have found a lot of people saying that their midwifery programs were really medically based, and were essentially training "little OB/GYNs" and not really working from a midwifery philosophy. I know not all midwives, and not all women want a home birth or natural experience, but that is the kind of care I would like to provide for women who chose it.

Are there specific questions I should ask the programs that I am applying to to make sure I find the right program? For those who are passionate about home birth, what kind of program do you recommend, or do you have any advice for an aspiring home birth midwife?

Thank you all so much! :)

[tablefor9, RN]

Checkout the Frontier School of Midwifery website. Also, why not do an apprenticeship with a CPM with an active homebirth practice? Get your CNM and go the extra mile to get comfortable with the deliveries you want to do...go to school, jump through the hoops, just don't drink the koolaid.