OK, I know this is a touchy subject but I'm desperate for some concrete, real- life numbers. I'm for sure going to be flamed for this, but I hope we can all be mature about this.
When looking online, the number that shows up again and again is 99K. One CNM in my area told me that it's more like 75K. She works about 2 days in the office and is on call 4 days a week. That's not a way to live, never being able to plan anything for most of the week. An OB told me that it's a even lower than that.
If anybody has any good info I would love to hear. Please include hours/ experience if applicable.
I graduated a month ago, and was offered 80 and 95K for two full scope, full time positions. The 95K was lower volume but an insane amount of call. I ended up taking a much lower paid position- 74K, at Planned Parenthood, 37.5 hours, normal clinic hours. It works out to be more per hour than the other positions, and regardless I think the benefits of a normal work/life balance more than make up for the decrease in income, at least for me. I have two young kids, both with special needs. I have been a CPM since 2006 and while i will miss doing OB, I am sooo excited to become more experienced in GYN. I have always been drawn to this aspect of women's health.
I mostly posted this as a reminder of the many career paths available to CNMs :)
ETA- I feel a bit of chagrin at accepting such a low salary, as I know I could make this much as an L&D RN, and in a strictly GYN I am providing more billable services per hour than I would be if I was doing OB as well (stupid insurance). I feel strongly that APRNs, PAs and MDs should be paid commensurate to the services rendered. However I believe strongly in the work that Planned Parenthood does, and am unbelievably proud to be working for them. And I'm quite satisfied with my salary and benefits.
OK, I know this is a touchy subject but I'm desperate for some concrete, real- life numbers. I'm for sure going to be flamed for this, but I hope we can all be mature about this.
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I'm curious why you think this is a touchy subject and that you would get flamed for asking about salaries? Its a huge problem to me that APRN salaries vary so greatly and I think a major way to combat that is by discussion and being supportive of our peers. I don't find it the least bit touchy or offensive and in fact what I do find offensive is that facilities have the nerve to only reimburse some APRNs at similar wages to RNs and that we are actually willing to even consider that!
I would imagine the pressure in a specialty like CMN is tremendous to be in the image of dear Florence Nightingale and work out of the codependency of your heart oooops meant kindness, lol, but that is ridiculous, imo. Kudos to those of you willing to speak up and expect professional wages for a very difficult position with high risk.
Oh my goodness, this makes me so angry! How can CNMs be so poorly compensated for the work they're doing/hours they're putting in/results they're producing? Am I reading that link wrong? How do practicing CNMs feel about their compensation? How much of your salary goes towards malpractice insurance?
I'm in the NYC area and I make 90k with almost 2 years experience. I would be making the same amount if I were still working as a floor nurse. This is low for the area, because I work for a public hospital. However the benefits (excellent health insurance for myself and my husband that is completely free), the experience of working in a busy inner city high-risk environment, my fabulous colleagues, and my humane schedule make it worth it for me personally. Other midwives in private practice in this area who work much longer hours can make upwards of 150k. Homebirth midwives in the area that I know make upwards of 200-300k, but they are on call 24/7 and accept the risk of liability.
Hi! I know this post is years later but I’m currently a midwifery student and thinking of moving to New York and your schedule sounds exactly what I’m looking for. Clinic and the shift work with no call. Do you mind me asking which hospital you work at? Also how hard will it be trying to get a job as a new grad?
Hi! I know this post is years later but I’m currently a midwifery student and thinking of moving to New York and your schedule sounds exactly what I’m looking for. Clinic and the shift work with no call. Do you mind me asking which hospital you work at? Also how hard will it be trying to get a job as a new grad?
They mostly all have midwifery services that have schedules like I describe. It is competitive to get a job anywhere as a new grad, making it pretty important to get placed there for clinicals and get your foot in the door by making a good impression. The better ones to start out at, IMO, are North Central Bronx, Jacobi, or Woodhull, because they don't have OB residents so you get more experience with deliveries.
They mostly all have midwifery services that have schedules like I describe. It is competitive to get a job anywhere as a new grad, making it pretty important to get placed there for clinicals and get your foot in the door by making a good impression. The better ones to start out at, IMO, are North Central Bronx, Jacobi, or Woodhull, because they don't have OB residents so you get more experience with deliveries.
Thanks for your response! So since I’m from Texas, do you think I should still give it a try?
Ah, gotcha. If you want to be in NYC, definitely give it a try! It's just a tough market for new grads, given that there are 3 different midwifery programs in the city graduating about 10-20 students each yearly.
seattleguy
22 Posts
Thanks for the link, that was very informative!