Aspiring CNM with a lotta questions!

[anaphora]

Hello, wonderful CNMs of AllNurses! I am a high school junior very interested in women's health nursing in general and the role of the CNM in particular. Of course, I'm still young and I have a lot of time to make up my mind, but I plan on pursuing a BSN directly out of college and receiving a CNM degree/license later in my twenties. I didn't even know what a CNM was until I found this board, and given that I'm interested in working with women and neonates, I figured I might as well ask a few questions to learn a bit more about this profession.

- Why did you choose to pursue nurse-midwifery over other careers in nursing (or een non-nursing careers)?

- What is your favorite part of your job (i.e., labor and delivery, well woman exams, managing birth control, etc.) and why?

- Where did you complete your CNM program? Did you have a good experience?

- This one is more for Texas CNMs: how is a job market for CNMs in Texas? Do you work in a hospital, birthing center, or home birth setting?

Thank you for taking the time to read/answer all of these, and have a lovely day!

[AspiringNurseMW]

I'm not a midwife yet, I'm almost finished with my first year of nursing school. I'm 29 with 2 kids. I decided to pursue midwifery right after my youngest daughters birth. I had taken my doula training earlier that same year, but quickly became frustrated by the limits of my role, especially in the hospital setting. After my homebirth , which was preceded by wonderful prenatal care under 2 CNMs I realized this was it. I needed to impart unto other women the experience that I had, regardless of setting. I needed to be a provider that offered evidence based care as a standard.

Me. I love labor. Women are beautiful strong amazing powerful creatures during labor. It's amazing and almost otherworldly to watch something. An honor to be a part of that.

Helping 1st time moms is a special treat, watching them make that transformation. Helping a multip have a completely different or healing experience from a previous birth is also humbling. Or at clinicals earlier this semester, helping a mom breastfeed and coordinating the resources to support her in that endeavor.

And then I'm a birth nerd. I could talk labor and delivery ALL. DAY. LONG. EVERY DAY. 365. I love being immersed. I cannot wait for that to actually be my job.

[mgrief]

Hey anaphora,

Congrats on being an aspiring midwife, I think you're making an awesome choice! I have wanted to be a midwife since I was 9 years old.

I'm not a CNM yet, but I'm finishing up my last semester in an accelerate BSN program to get my RN. I'm then going straight into Vanderbilt's CNM/FNP program. I really wanted the flexibility of both certifications. :)

I'm also from Texas and would love to practice here when I finish midwifery school. I know that most CNMs in Texas seem to gravitate towards working in birth centers as opposed to hospitals. I think right now, Austin and Dallas are probably your best bets for CNM practice; whether you choose a birth center or find a hospital that will take you on.

Also, Tennessee seems to be very friendly to midwives!

BEST OF LUCK!!! :)

You are on a long road, but stick to your guns and don't let anyone convince you out of what you already know to be true! Nursing school is hard, but one day being a midwife will be worth it!!! :)

[anaphora]

Hey anaphora,

Congrats on being an aspiring midwife, I think you're making an awesome choice! I have wanted to be a midwife since I was 9 years old.

I'm not a CNM yet, but I'm finishing up my last semester in an accelerate BSN program to get my RN. I'm then going straight into Vanderbilt's CNM/FNP program. I really wanted the flexibility of both certifications. :)

I'm also from Texas and would love to practice here when I finish midwifery school. I know that most CNMs in Texas seem to gravitate towards working in birth centers as opposed to hospitals. I think right now, Austin and Dallas are probably your best bets for CNM practice; whether you choose a birth center or find a hospital that will take you on.

Also, Tennessee seems to be very friendly to midwives!

BEST OF LUCK!!! :)

You are on a long road, but stick to your guns and don't let anyone convince you out of what you already know to be true! Nursing school is hard, but one day being a midwife will be worth it!!! :)

Thank you so much for the luck! I've been looking into master's programs for nurse-midwifery; Vanderbilt really appeals to me for its CNM/FNP dual-certification and (relatively) close proximity to my home state in comparison to many of the other midwifery programs I have looked into.

All of these messages are really helpful and inspiring! I look forward to calling all of you my fellow CNMs someday!