CNA who wants to be a midwife.

Selke · Oct 1, 2005

Hi, I'm a CNA in training, and I hope to become a nurse midwife. I was wondering, do some birth centers hire CNAs? I know that my hospitals L&D dpartment does, but I'd like to get some experience with a midwifery practice if I could. Thanks!

Few L&D units hire CNAs. A few might hire them as supply techs, but generally the OB techs (OR scrub techs) do this type of stocking work, maintenance of equipment and supplies, support for the RNs, &c.

What is your educational background? Do you have a BA already? Are you in college now? If you have a bachelor's degree, there are many direct entry MSN programs in which you earn your RN in an intensive program right before the master's part. If you don't have a bachelor's degree, you should start coursework for a BSN, with the intention of continuing straightaway for your MSN in midwifery. You can take nonclinical coursework after graduation from nursing school while working in L&D. Because of the nursing shortage, many hospitals payback new grads student loans, and more federal $$$ are being made available for nursing education. I believe there are several states offering scholarships and loan payback, too, if you work in that state after graduation, or work in an underserved population.

Why do you want to be a midwife?

I suggest to those interested in OB or midwifery to become a doula. This is the best preparation, in my opinion -- you learn labor support, how to be with a woman in labor, which you are not likely to get in nursing school, and depending on where you work in L&D, the nurses may not have a culture of labor support. Being an experienced doula will make a CNM admissions committee notice your application. Particularly if you work with disadvantaged women, as well as the middle to upper income women who can pay you. I also suggest learning Spanish. Starting now doing volunteer work in your community related to maternal child health care and public health issues is a plus on your application. Be aware of the big picture of maternal child public health, and think about what part you can play in the community at large as a midwife.

ERVolunteer · Oct 3, 2005

Few L&D units hire CNAs. A few might hire them as supply techs, but generally the OB techs (OR scrub techs) do this type of stocking work, maintenance of equipment and supplies, support for the RNs, &c.
What is your educational background? Do you have a BA already? Are you in college now? If you have a bachelor's degree, there are many direct entry MSN programs in which you earn your RN in an intensive program right before the master's part. If you don't have a bachelor's degree, you should start coursework for a BSN, with the intention of continuing straightaway for your MSN in midwifery. You can take nonclinical coursework after graduation from nursing school while working in L&D. Because of the nursing shortage, many hospitals payback new grads student loans, and more federal $$$ are being made available for nursing education. I believe there are several states offering scholarships and loan payback, too, if you work in that state after graduation, or work in an underserved population.
Why do you want to be a midwife?
I suggest to those interested in OB or midwifery to become a doula. This is the best preparation, in my opinion -- you learn labor support, how to be with a woman in labor, which you are not likely to get in nursing school, and depending on where you work in L&D, the nurses may not have a culture of labor support. Being an experienced doula will make a CNM admissions committee notice your application. Particularly if you work with disadvantaged women, as well as the middle to upper income women who can pay you. I also suggest learning Spanish. Starting now doing volunteer work in your community related to maternal child health care and public health issues is a plus on your application. Be aware of the big picture of maternal child public health, and think about what part you can play in the community at large as a midwife.

Thanks. I talked with someone in my L&D last Fri, and they said it was a lot like the CNA work on the other floors. Vitals, ect. I'm willing to take any type of experience I can get. I just graduated high school in May, and I'm currently working on my nursing pre reqs, and planning to go straight to my BSN and then MSN. I've looked into Doula classes in my area, but so far I haven't been able to take any of them. Becoming a doula is one of my goals, because I kniow I'd get to work with the midwives and get experience with births in all settings. That way I could also see if I want to do out of hospital births (unless the malpractice insurance decides for me). The major universities with the nursing programs around here are inner city and I hope to work on an Indian reservation, so experience with disadvantaged people would be good. I've looked into volunteering at local pregnancy centers, and the one I'm most interested in serves a lot of disadvantaged people.

As for why I want to become a midwife,being a volunteer in the ER, I've seen plenty of women come in with OB/GYN problems (including one who had a miscarriage), and I want to be able to do whatever I can for women and babies. I'd like to do what I can to prevent problems that I've seen due to maternal smoking, drinking and drug use.

I definately know the importance of Spanish. I live in Florida, and we have a fair amount of Spanish speaking patients come in.I took two semesters of it when i was dual enrolled. Unfortuately, my community college only offered Spanish one and two. I really realized how important it is when I one of the nurses from another unit came in asking if anyone spoke Spanish, and I was the only one who spoke even a little.

again, thanks so much for your advice, and I'll definately look up those DONA doula classes again.

Selke · Oct 3, 2005

Thanks. I talked with someone in my L&D last Fri, and they said it was a lot like the CNA work on the other floors. Vitals, ect. I'm ain.

Ah, you just graduated from high school! Good luck! You have plenty of time and are on the right track. I'm impressed at your resolve and determination, that you have such precise goals at this point in your life! Keep at it, you're doing all the right things! Look for as many types of experiences as possible, not just in the hospital, but out of hospital, in clinics, in community settings, &c. Finding a doula support network would be a great help to you in guiding you on your path.

Best wishes to you.

SmilingBluEyes · Oct 3, 2005

Some larger hospitals that have high-volume of deliveries DO hire CNA's. I would start there, if possible. Check the largest hospitals in your area. And remember, a logical path to becoming a midwife can very well be, attending RN schooling, gaining experience as an L/D nurse, and then going on to study your master's in nursing as a CNM. That may be a more efficient and better path to plan. NO CNA experience is a waste, but as others already said, many units do not utilize CNA's in their areas. So plan NOW to find a school that offers BSN studies for nursing and go from there.

Here is a website to get you started finding nursing schools/programs in your area:

http://www.allnursingschools.com

GOOD LUCK and NEVER give up.

J'sGirl82 · Apr 9, 2006

I am new here and haven't posted before this. I find this thread to be pretty interesting. You can work as a CNA on a L&D floor, as well in the WH clinics, and some offices. How do I know ? Because I do it. After leaving the Army, I realized that was I was doing was not what really made me tick. I'm from Florida, where my mom is a FNP, and my father a DO, both of which rely (sp?) heavily on their Certificate/Vocational staff. CALL ME CRAZY....but I know it can be done. I will warn you of this; the hours are insane. You'll get worn out, no matter how much you love it, there will be days when you'll come home and just pass the heck out without dinner. As far as the SPAN...the easiest way to learn, is to have somebody teach you. My family is of hispanic origin, as is my husband. Classes in College are great, don't get me wrong, but the emphasis usually lies in reading/writing of the language. Not nessescarily (sp?) speaking. Another thing to keep in mind, different countries have different dialects of spanish, sounds crazy I know, but, I can tell you from my personal exp. that My dad ( from Cuba...originally Spain) and my Husband ( mix of Mex. and Nicaragua) do no ALWAYS understand each other. I will be going to get my VN, then do a VN-BSN bridge, from there I will complete my MSN, CNM. I get totally where you are coming from, everything seems so overwhelming for me too ! I hope what I said helped, and gave you some insight. Hang in there girl, and occassionally look back to see that I haven't let go of the rope, LOLOLOL