So I'm an aspiring CNM! I need help and insight on what route to choose to become a CNM. I want to choose a route that is 1. Less difficult and 2. Less time consuming (don't take this to mean I'm lazy or not willing to work for what I want)
My first option would be getting my BSN and then applying to the CNM program. I'm a bit hesitate to this route because I don't necessarily want to go through nursing school or then have to work as a nurse for a year. Seeing the negative posts on allnurses about nursing school and working as nurse hasn't helped that much either!
My other option is getting a non-nursing degree in something that could possibly add to my career as a CNM (maybe Healthcare Management) and then apply to a 16-month MN program that is direct-entry to the CNM program.
I could definitely use somone who's looking at this from the outside-in, that could weigh the differences and shed some truth/reality on this. I would definitely appreciate any advice from anyone!
I don't think they are as common as they used to be, but there are direct-entry Master's programs for CNMs...I think they are moving away from them so they are much harder to find. This type of program is where you have a Bachelor's degree in a non-nursing area and then you start your Master's of Science in Nursing in Nurse-Midwifery. Like I said, it's not common anymore, and I think Yale is one of the few that has it still.
According to the ACNM website, the following programs have non-nurse entry options or 'direct-entry' options for people with Bachelor's degrees wanting to become an CNM:
East Carolina University is in Greenville, North Carolina, not south So sad, because they only accept students in North Carolina, and I am in South Carolina.
Oregon Health & Science University requires a BSN. They do not require RN experience. So, you still must get your BSN but you can be directly admitted into the graduate program for midwifery without working a day as an RN. However, Oregon nursing law requires that an advance practice nurse must have 384 hours of RN experience (not school clinicals) in order to be licensed as an ARNP in Oregon. This creates a difficulty for the nurses who are planning to go directly from the BSN to the MSN. Most employers are not likely to hire you as a new graduate RN if you can only give them one day a week of work due to a rigorous class schedule.
I can't edit my post- otherwise I would! Thank you mamagui!
East Carolina University is in NC.
Back to the OP's original question - there are many pathways to becoming a CNM - though none may be 'ideal' - there are plenty of ways to get there. And state licensing requirements for CNMs should be taken into account as well - as the previous poster pointed out.
I hate how if you close out the page, your edit option disappears LOL
Queenanneslace and the others are spot on- there are a plethora of paths to become a CNM, and there are many types of midwives, aside from CNM...research what the licensing requirements are for your state, and also what kind of midwife you really want to be. Perhaps you are more interested in being a Certified Professional Midwife? That path to midwifery does not included nursing school, but uses an apprenticeship model or midwifery school model for certification through NARM. The legality of this kind of midwife can vary wildly from state to state. They also tend to make less money. But, here is a good place to begin research NARM | The North American Registry of Midwives if you are possibly interested in that type of midwifery...
If you go to their actual websites, they don't have the Direct-entry MSN option anymore. East Carolina University got rid of their DE MSN program, for example. Or it's more of an Accelerated BSN then you can go for your MSN.
Like I said, they are there, but they are less common than they used to be and universities that used to have the programs, no longer have the programs.
So sad, because they only accept students in North Carolina, and I am in South Carolina.
queenanneslace, ADN, MSN, APRN, CNM
302 Posts
According to the ACNM website, the following programs have non-nurse entry options or 'direct-entry' options for people with Bachelor's degrees wanting to become an CNM:
Pathway Results
Case Western Reserve University - Cleveland, OH
Columbia University - New York, NY
East Carolina University - Greenville, SC
Marquette University - Milwaukee, WI
Oregon Health Sciences University - Portland, OR
Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences - Newark, NJ
Seattle University - Seattle, WA
Stony Brook University - Stony Brook, NY
University of California- San Francisco
University of Cinncinnati
University of Chicago
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, MI
University of Minnesota - Minneapolis, MN
University of Pennsylvania - Philadelphia, PA
Vanderbilt University - Nashville, TN
Wayne State University - Detroit, MI
Yale University - New Haven, CT