Advice for new midwifery student?

Ohm108, MSN, NP, CNM · Nov 11, 2021

Congratulations on starting your program!

Books - you will find the ones that you like best but the three that I use the most and could be helpful during your clinical rotation are below:

1) A Pocket Guide to Clinical Midwifery (2nd Edition) - Lauren A. Dutton, Jessica E. Densmore, Meredith B. Turner

2) A Comprehensive Handbook - Obstetrics & Gynecology (3rd Edition) - Thomas Zheng, MD

3) Managing Contraceptive Pill Patients and Managing Hormone Replacement (16th Edition) - Richard Palmer Dickey, MD, PhD

Overall, remember self-care and (if you can) to take some time off before you start the program. Take as many opportunities to attend births, take shifts, and go to every OP clinic that you can. I don't know if your program is full-time, part-time, hybrid, or distance but my mindset when I was in midwifery school was that it was my full-time job and I approached my rotations with that mindset to make sure that I maximized my time at the hospital and clinic especially during integration. I would also say that there are many ways to approach midwifery and there are many "styles" in how midwives practice when you go into clinical rotation. You will develop your own but if someone has a technique that is really cool note it and see if you can incorporate it into your own practice. Also be open to feedback but also have your own core idea about how you want to practice and know that it is something that is constantly evolving and changing as you move through your career.

I hope this helps. Good luck!