Hello, I was wondering if anyone can tell me what the midwifery part of your nurse-midwifery program was like? I really like the curriculum followed my non-nurse midwives and was wondering if it's generally the same for nurse-midwives. What kinds of things did you learn, i.e. Do you cover use of herbs etc. Thanks.

What program did they use for their education?

Both non-nurses and RNs were in my Midwifery class--we learned the same material and the same expectations were there for both of us. The requirements to graduate were the same, and the tests were the same. The only difference was for licensing--RNs became CNMs and the non RNs became CMs (and we took the same exam!)

Hi. What program did you attend, and what kinds of things were u taught?

I attended a program in Brooklyn NY and graduated in 2002- I was an RN for several years before going back. The classes were broken into the different phases of pregnancy: Antepartum, Intrapartum, Post Partum/Neonatal, with Well Woman and Menopause attached to different sections. I learned all the hand skills of delivery plus those necessary for a pelvic exam and was exposed to the advanced skills during clinical time. There is a seperate OB Pharmacology course in my program and there was an option for those without an MS to finish with an MS in Midwifery

^thanks. was this SUNY downstate? I'm thinking of going there. Is the program geared equally toward well-woman care and maternity care? Or one more than the other? I'm more interested in the midwifery aspect. Also, does the curriculum cover alternative pain control such as homeopathy and herbs?

It was SUNY Downstate. I had a great experience there--small class size and a small faculty to work with, then the outside preceptors. Being a hospital-based RN, I felt that this program covered more of the Well Woman and OB aspects I was used to. We didn't get too much into the alternative things like homeopathy, massage, etc but opportunities were there for independent exploration or to connect with someone who did those things. My classmates were diverse so they had a lot of resources themselves into things like homebirth, etc, and some had experience in OB nursing or lay midwifery from other parts of the country. I came in basically "green" to the OB world except for L&D nursing, and I think I got a great education that paired nicely with my Critical Care background.

smallwonders07, consider that if you are interested in the direct-entry education of a Certified Midwife, which is on par with a nurse-midwife sans the nursing degree, there are only a handful (less than five? three?) states where that credential is recognized, where as direct-entry education for Certified Professional Midwife is legal in more than half the US. Of course, CNMs are legal everywhere.

You'll likely have to do independent study for complementary alternative medicine modalities.

I'm a CPM, nurse-midwife wannabe, that's why I'm here

apgar thanks for the heads up about CM. I read about that, which is why I'm still unsure about the CM route. Can you please explain the independent study? Does that just mean you have to learn it on your own time, that it's not part of the curriculum?

QM, thanks for telling me that. It's good to know I would have that option of exploring different things without restriction. And students are pretty much free to explore different interests right?

apgar thanks for the heads up about CM. I read about that, which is why I'm still unsure about the CM route. Can you please explain the independent study? Does that just mean you have to learn it on your own time, that it's not part of the curriculum?

By independent study I mean it's not part of the curriculum and you will need to find a program that offers the education and certification for what you desire to add to your practice. Some midwives (regardless of educational credential) add herbologist, homeopath, naturopath, cranial sacral therapy, reiki, etc. to their practice, but it's not part of the midwifery program.

thanks for the advice apgar.

so quality manager, would you say suny might not be the best fit for me if I am interested in being a birthcenter/homebirth midwife? You mentioned it being more in line with the medical model of care hospitals follow.

I am in a Nurse-Midwifery program. We do not get formal education on herbal and/or alternative medicine, but we do learn some of it. It comes from those in our cohort with experience in the matter, or because someone knows a ________ (chiropractor, herbalist, massage therapist, etc) who volunteers to come in and teach us what we want to know. You also learn it on your own. I also learned quite a bit at the ACNM conference last week where I tried to go to things about stuff we hadn't learned (ie Alternative medicine) instead of the medical stuff like hypertension, preecclampsia, ect. I would have loved to skip over the nursing part, but I wanted to be able to practice ANY/EVERY where, so I went the CNM route.

Good luck in choosing the right fit for you!