applying to midwifery school

[CSON2011hsm]

hey everyone, I'm looking for advice on a CNM career

i recently graduated with a BSN from Boston College and have known for a while that I want to work as a midwife. however, with the job market the way it is, I decided to accept a new grad position in a pedi emergency dept as my first job instead of holding out for L and D. I think I can pay off my undergrad loans in about 2 years, and my question is should I apply to CNM programs after 2 years of this job or should I seek an L and D position first? I had the opportunity to work with a number of wonderful CNMs at a Boston Hospital during my L and D senior practicum, and I know it's what I really want to do, I just want to get a sense of what will make me more marketable to schools. Any input is welcome and appreciated. Thanks!

[arabianeyez83]

A solid background in L&D is a great help, but not necessary, and not required where I go to school. My educators have 2 schools of thought. The one with no L&D experience has a clean slate and therefore can be molded easily, and the one with L&D experience has a cluttered slate that needs to be wiped clean. Working in L&D however will help you become more comfortable working with women in labor, interpreting fetal heart tones, and assessing cervical dilation. This will enable you to be free to concentrate on all the new skills that a beginning midwife must learn. I do not have any L&D experience, I just have ER. I have to make sure I take a FHT monitoring class and atleast know the basics, attend deliveries..and so on before I start clinicals this fall. Basically my point is, I'll be working harder than my classmates that do have L&D experience, but in the end...we will all be CNM's! Hope this helped :))))

[nurses35]

thanks for all the good information!