[birthmamaew]

Sorry to be blunt but that is the most ridiculous thing I may have ever heard. There are many people who have gone through my CNM program and had babies while there. The profs were known to rock the students' babies to sleep as she lectured. Something about that smacks of discrimination. I hardly believe it could be legal. It is illegal to fire people from their job for being pregnant. This right now, is essentially your job.
Do not put up wth this. Also, I don't know how invested you are inthis particular program at this point, but I would ask myself if I wanted to be a part of a program with this mind set. However, you may be pretty farin already, which I know makes things a lot stickier.
Good luck. Whew..

[mercyteapot]

I would be stunned if this was legal... I don't think that they could make you sign a paper promising not to get pregnant, because the reality is that we don't always have control of that. Birth control is highly effective, but I believe we all know of situations where it wasn't 100% so. Think of it this way- if a student did find out she was pregnant, the school would essentially be forcing her to choose termination or leaving school. I just can't see it.... I have to wonder if this program director isn't just FOS.

[muffie]

for gosh sakes, it's 2006 !

[np_wannabe]

Originally Posted by ibambamama

Help!
I am currently a nursing student in an entry-to-practice midwifery program and, after meeting with my program director last week, was told that we would, essentially, be kicked out of the midwifery program if we become pregnant while we are in school!!!
Has anyone ever heard of anything like this? Is this even remotely legal?! Why would a midwifery program (of all things!) have such an antiquated and biased policy? Shouldn't we, as midwives, be fighting AGAINST the image of pregnancy as an illness or a fragile state in which women need to be treated like delicately-ticking time-bombs?
I am not currently pregnant, but I do have one child and I'm in my early 30's, so I do not feel like I can put off childbearing indefinitely. I was (before last week!) planning on trying to get pregnant towards the middle-end of my program so that I could deliver after graduation (and be home with the baby while I look for work!) - The program I am in is very intense, fast-paced and competitive (I know, doesn't really seem to jive well with the whole idea of midwifery!) but I am anxious to get through it and be done with school - it has taken me 10 years to get here and I can't imagine losing my chance or having to choose between pursuing my life's goals and expanding my family.
Please, if anyone has any ideas or just feedback, I'm really in a mess over this!
Thank you

ibambamama~

I'm curious to know--what have you found out about this? Is it legal? (because I think it just [i]can't[i] be!)

let us know what is happening....

[lovingpecola]

I read through all of the posts and then read your post again and realized that you said "essentially." Did the professor/advisor said things like it will be "nearly impossible" or "highly unlikely" that you would be able to stay with the class?

The reason I am asking is because *discouraged* is not the same as *expelled*...I agree that this is insane but I just wanted to suggest that you clarify before paying for an attorney or anything else!

Please let us know how it goes!

LP

[ibambamama]

Thanks so much to everyone for replying. I've had some time now to digest all of this - and yes, it is crazy (and yes, very illegal!) although, as lovingpecola pointed out, wording is probably everything (I believe her exact wording to me was, "it will be at my (the program director's) discretion whether or not you will be allowed to continue on in the program" - so perhaps that's how she gets away with this kind of bullying.
Nevertheless, I am going to stay where I am and slog through. I've spoken with many midwives (as well as doctors and medical students) over the past week or so, including a few alumni of this program, and they have all reassured me that I should just go through with the program and what I do with my personal life is my own business.
Thanks again for all the support!

[caliotter3]

Just want to encourage you to keep on and don't be discouraged. I knew a co-worker once a long time ago who was lucky to have been in a very competitive ADN program. She became pregnant and was told to leave the program until the child was born and was promised her seat when she was ready to return. However, when she went back, lo and behold, there was no more RN program seat for her. She was told she could finish in the LPN program, take it or leave it. Obviously, something was wrong with this deal somehow. When she told me about it, I remarked about the obvious (after all you have to consider it) maybe she was undergoing added discrimination because of her race (it was already not a secret that she had been homeless). Just out of curiosity, I have always wondered why that school did what it did to this person. It just seemed so unjustified at the time. If she was not hacking the RN program academically, then she should have been booted for those reasons and not for being pregnant. Just my thoughts on the matter. Not meant to discourage you or put things in the negative, but meant to encourage you to not let this stop you from completing your program, you are too much invested in it. ((In contrast, in my BSN program, there was a lady who was pregnant for number 7 and it seemed that everyone laid out the red carpet for her along the way; maybe because she was not of the wrong race and socioeconomic class. Just goes to show you how differently people can be treated.))

[VickyRN]

Expulsion from any nursing program for pregnancy in and of itself is definitely illegal - That is, as long as the student in question is still meeting the requirements of the program - especially classroom attendance and clinical requirements (as spelled out in the syllabus and student handbook).

[iriska_meller]

May be what he meant was the following. Pregnant women tend to feel bad for various reasons, and miss classes. (I personally had acute kidney infections 3 times during 1 pregnancy). Therefore, it is highly likely that you will fall behind and as a result will have to leave the program. But if you are pregnant and not sick and don't ask for mercy, you will stay and be ok. May be it was just his peculiar way of telling you PLEASE DO NOT GET PREGNANT.
Another version: may be there was an incident of someone losing a baby due to the stresses of the program, and suing the school afterwards?