[Curls105]

Hello!

I am starting an accelerated BSN program this June and have my heart set on ultimately becoming a CNM. However, I am concerned about a couple of issues and I was wondering if anyone who is either a CNM or who decided to go ahead and start a program could give me some insight.

Is is very difficult to find a job as a CNM? I would be looking in New York City and the surrounding boroughs. I have heard from other NP's who have claimed that it is very difficult to find a job and /or keep up a practice as a CNM. Along with this, what about malpractice insurance? When you work for a hospital do they pay this or would I have to pay it and how expensive is it? What about once I started my own practice? I have heard of Ob's going out of business and stopping the delivery portion of their business because of rising insurance costs. Is this a profession that I can make a decent living in considering all the insurance and that fact that most women choose to be delivered by an MD not a CNM?

Thank you so much!!!
Kristen

[Selke]

Here's my two cents: Once you start your CNM program, your school and faculty will probably hear of jobs and pass this information onto the students. Sometimes students are hired by the practices at which they do their integration. Join ACNM; they have a job site on their website for members only. Join midwifery listservs; ACNM has several and there are a few others; listmembers frequently post open positions. Get to know your community and find the midwives who are already there, not just the private practice ones but the ones who work in the public health system, NHSC funded sites, and Indian Health Service if you live by one of those facilities. The military also uses midwives and is a very midwife-friendly place to work, I've heard. Create your own job: if you know your community and find a need, you can create a job and perhaps get NHSC funding. I've heard from homebirth midwives that they turn away clients; there are not enough of them to keep up with demand. Hook up with alum from your school. If you attend Frontier, for example, that's easy as there are FNS grads everywhere and they all look out for each other. If you are able to relocate, you may need to move to where there are jobs. I have no idea about NYC; I'd think you could find a CNM job there. Don't be discouraged at becoming a CNM if there are no jobs available at the present moment you are looking; the job market changes constantly. Get your education now while you can. Things may change for the better by the time you graduate, such as with malpractice insurance and a positive climate for CNMs. I'm convinced many women want midwives, but there aren't enough to go around. Good luck!

[beckinben]

Originally Posted by Selke

Here's my two cents: Once you start your CNM program, your school and faculty will probably hear of jobs and pass this information onto the students. Sometimes students are hired by the practices at which they do their integration. Join ACNM; they have a job site on their website for members only. Join midwifery listservs; ACNM has several and there are a few others; listmembers frequently post open positions. Get to know your community and find the midwives who are already there, not just the private practice ones but the ones who work in the public health system, NHSC funded sites, and Indian Health Service if you live by one of those facilities. The military also uses midwives and is a very midwife-friendly place to work, I've heard. Create your own job: if you know your community and find a need, you can create a job and perhaps get NHSC funding. I've heard from homebirth midwives that they turn away clients; there are not enough of them to keep up with demand. Hook up with alum from your school. If you attend Frontier, for example, that's easy as there are FNS grads everywhere and they all look out for each other. If you are able to relocate, you may need to move to where there are jobs. I have no idea about NYC; I'd think you could find a CNM job there. Don't be discouraged at becoming a CNM if there are no jobs available at the present moment you are looking; the job market changes constantly. Get your education now while you can. Things may change for the better by the time you graduate, such as with malpractice insurance and a positive climate for CNMs. I'm convinced many women want midwives, but there aren't enough to go around. Good luck!

Good advice. Some of my thoughts/experiences:

- www.midwifejobs.com is run by the ACNM, but you do not have to be a member to look at the jobs. It seems like there are more and more on there all the time. The job market DOES constantly change. People move around a lot, it seems like.

- Some people I know were hired by their integration site. It's a good way to check out a potential employer. I learned I would not want to work for my integration site. Not that it was bad, it just wasn't for me.

- Networking is the best way to find a job. My program director found my job for me with a doc she worked with in the military. Lots and lots of networking goes on at the ACNM annual meeting - I got offered a job there last year. The listservs (some you have to belong to ACNM, some you don't) have jobs are often advertised on the listservs and filled before they get to midwifejobs.com.

- For me, I needed to move to find the right job for me. I could have stayed where I went to school, but the jobs were not as good. Only you can decide what's important for you.

- Malpractice - every hospital I know provides it if you are a hospital employee. FQHCs (federally qualified health centers) have the best malpractice, IMO, and many are NHSC sites. Beyond that, it can be an issue, but it is constantly changing.

Becki