anyone's response will be useful =)

[hellosun]

Hello!

Future nursing student here (starting next fall), interested in someday specializing in anything to do with pregnancy, birth and babies. Not in the "awww babies!" way but in the "can't learn enough about pregnancy/birth/newborns after taking developmental psych. way). I'm just not sure what type of specialty I should look into because there seems to be so many different credentials out there for this field.

I see myself working step-by-step with an expecting family or woman, preparing for their newborn, talking to them about their options, checking the fetus's growth, talking to the mother about nutrition, etc. I'd also like to be there for the birth and then for a little time after as well, maybe a few days-months?

I'm not sure how I feel about home-births but I know they can be absolutely safe and beneficial. I just think I'd rather work in some type of clinic/hospital.

Is there a job out there like this?? If you have any experience or advice, please share. I don't mean to sound ignorant about this but I have been hearing so many different things about widwifery/ obgyn nursing that I figured I would just ask real people =).

[midwifetobe85]

Thank you everyone!

midwifetobe85, I'm also from MA and I will also be getting my second bachelors in nursing. You must be familiar with some of the programs around here, so could I ask for your advice? I've been accepted into Regis College's part-time BSN program and Northeastern's DE Hybrid neonatal track (lectures online) program.

I'm torn between the two because at Regis I could work while in school and get some experience as a CNA that might help me to find a job after graduation. But I feel like Northeastern's program has an awesome reputation and I'll finish almost 2 years sooner, which would be great. Do you have any thoughts on this?

Hey hellosun,

Oh cool! There seem to be a lot of aspiring midwives on here from MA. I'm not originally from here (from upstate NY) and so I'm only somewhat familiar with the local ABSNs. I do know that Northeastern and Regis both have excellent reputations. However, I don't think the school you attend really matters when it comes to job hunting and grad school applications. Nurse recruiters are more interested in your grades, letters of recommendations and interviews skills. A well-designed resume that helps you to stand out is also important. Working as a CNA would definitely increase your chances of getting work but that's not to say that you couldn't get work without CNA experience. I attended Binghamton U.'s ABSN last year and the majority of my classmates got jobs and most of them had never worked in healthcare.

I think it really comes down to what feels right for you. I went back to nursing school because I knew I wanted to be a midwife. I wanted to do it as quickly as possible, not work in in nursing, and immediately apply to midwifery school. If you're equally interested in nursing than maybe there's no rush. Working as a CNA would be good not only for your resume but also because during the whole first half of nursing school you're basically doing CNA work. It will help you do better in nursing school and allow you to hit the ground running when you start working as a nurse. It's true that you likely won't have much time in NEUs accelerated program, but since its online perhaps you could squeeze in a few hours of CNA work a week? I think even if you only managed a handful of CNA hours by the end of the program it would still be beneficial. But like I said, even if you didn't work as a CNA, with good grades,etc. I think you're still likely to get RN work.

[melmarie23, MSN, RN]

hellosun, I am not sure how close you are to NH, but the University of New Hampshire has a direct entry Masters in Nursing program for those who have Bachelors degree in another field. Thats the program I did. I now work in Maternity (my unit is LDRP) and have plans to go back to get my CNM once I have more time to dedicate to my studies (read: once I am done having kiddos and they too are in school :-)

PM me if you have any ?s about the UNH program.

[melmarie23, MSN, RN]

and midwifetobe85, I too am originally from Upstate NY (Finger Lakes Region--can you tell I am a SU fan by my avatar? Its where I did my undergrad)! Small world eh? :-D

[hellosun]

Thank you both! Melmarie23 I think I am done applying for now, but I have heard that's a good program!

I am still SO torn, I keep going back and forth about what I'll do. Regis is having an accepted students night on Monday so maybe that will help me to make up my mind a little. I know that I definitely want to work in L&D for at least a few years before going for my CNM, so I want to make sure that I'm able to get a job (and a good one at that) when I graduate. Ahh! Such a big decision and only three weeks until a deposit is due haha. I will keep you all posted, thanks so much for the advice!!