CPM to CNM

Specialties CNM

Published

Greetings,

I am looking for experiences from CPMs who went back to school to become CNMs. I am currently in my 2nd year of CPM school at a MEAC accredited program, but for many reasons I have decided that the CNM route may work better for me. I didn't want to "quit" CPM school this close to the finish line so my plan is to finish CPM school and then start with Nursing.

Please tell me it is all worth it :-)

Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

Congrats, Cayenne! That's huge!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Congratulations!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nurse-Midwife.
I am a CPM just starting my ASN to CNM this fall. I am extremely grateful for my CPM training. One thing I can say about those who go straight through CNM is that they seriously lack experience and confidence. I have worked with new grads and those new to out of hospital, they are terrified and have super high transfer rates. It's a different skill set. I am very grateful I went CPM first so I could get the huge amount of clinical hours where I was the one resuscitating a baby, making the calls in dealing with a bleed or freeing a sticky shoulder. A friend of mine just finished her CNM with Frontier and she spent 95% of her clinical time doing pap smears and postpartum check ups (scut work). She was only called into the labor room when baby was crowning. If there were any complications the docs or peds took over. How does that prepare you for autonomous practice? It doesn't. Being able to spend 3 years hands on, one on one, assisting in every kind of scenario is priceless. This is all assuming you have a good preceptor that knows what she is doing.

I can identify with some of the things that you are saying - but it really depends on the individual. I have met new grad CNMs who feel quite a bit of trepidation over assuming full responsibility as the provider. I think the out-of-hospital CPM experience gives midwives a taste of having that full responsibility for the safety and well being of women and babies. I understand what you're saying. Working as a L&D nurse, your care and responsibility is compartmentalized - it's a big jump from RN to CNM. But it's important to recognize that the experiences of a few are not the experiences of everyone. I do think there is benefit in having experience as a CPM and understanding that level of responsibility.

I do know of some SNMs that really got shafted in their clinical experiences - basically used by their preceptors to keep their clinic open while they took call and labor patients at the hospital. Sometimes students get screwed. It happens. It happens at many different schools - with Frontier it's hard to make this generalization because there are so many possibilities for clinicals. Because FNU requires double what the ACME requires as far as clinical experiences -the chances of graduating without sufficient clinical experience is pretty slim.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Congrats Cayenne!! That's wonderful :) I'm at FNU and just finished my didactic work and am about to start my clinicals next week.

Did you end up taking the planned parenthood job?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hi Everyone~

I am on the long, winding path of CPM to CNM as well. It is so nice to read all of your stories here. I have wanted to post here for months, but was finishing a one year accelerated BSN program and literally had no extra time/energy. Congratulations Chayenne! I can't image how happy and relieved you feel to finally be finished. You are an inspiration. Right now I am just trying to find a job. I graduated in the beginning of April and have been applying to any mother/baby or L&D jobs posted, but most require experience. I may just need to take a med/surg job to begin with for experience. Luckily, I do like nursing. I was shocked by this at first, but my school really emphasized the holistic nature of nursing. And I sort of feel like everyone wants to care for a mama in labor, but not everyone is willing to care for the homeless crack head with self-inflicted health issues. I enjoyed being that person. At least for now, lol. I start midwifery school part time in the fall and CANNOT WAIT!! I am so excited. I feel like my CPM gave me a firm foundation in out of hospital birth and what is normal, but I did not feel prepared enough to start a practice. My preceptors were CNMs and I loved the way they practiced, with some home birth and some hospital clients. And they could continue caring for their clients if they needed to transfer. I think that is the type of practice I ultimately want to have.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Reproductive & Public Health.

Woohoo olive&pimento! Glad to hear your story, and you sound like you are going to make an amazing CNM.

And CNMMidwife2be, I did indeed take the planned parenthood job and I am THRILLED! It is less than what I was offered for a full scope position, but when you break it down by actual hours worked, it is $10 MORE per hour. And OMG. 37 hours a week, no nights, no on call, only one half-weekend day a month! I've always loved this kind of work, and I am excited to become more confident and skilled in GYN. OB has been my focus since 2002 so this is exciting! And I am hoping, as I become more skilled and comfortable in this job, that I can work on lobbying/legislation to get rid of physician-only abortion riders so that CNMs, NPs and PAs can do surgical ABs, not just medical.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Wow, it is so good to read this thread. I am taking pre-reqs at my community college to enter the nursing program after years of hemming and hawing over which route I would choose, CPM or CNM, if I were to pursue midwifery. I really appreciate the like-mindedness I see here, echoing my own heart. "I am not planning to be a nurse, I am going to be a midwife" I've said that to the wrong person more than once and been told, "You will always be a nurse as a CNM, it's a nursing degree and you will answer to the state board of nursing." Um, yeah, thank you for that. I know. My heart is for midwifery. I've worked as a doula and childbirth educator while raising my own large family, and I know this is a calling I need to pursue.

I believe nursing is a step to becoming a midwife, and I will likely enjoy it, because I like learning stuff, all stuff. I even found out through being in school that I actually like MATH!!! Wow! I never thought I would *like* math. I have my reservations about working in the L&D RN at a hospital, but one of our local hospitals here has the most wonderful hospitalists, one of whom WANTS me to work there after I graduate. That would be so wonderful. I think I might enjoy float pool, too. I am a high-energy person, and I love learning new things, and I am flexible. Anyway, nursing is a necessary step, but not one that I think I'll need to grit my teeth through. I think I'll actually enjoy it, even though I'm into non-Western medicine, and consider myself a very crunchy gal. I like to think of different modalities as complementary, not competitive, if that makes any sense. I'm planning at some point in my education to spend some time learning at a new freestanding birth center school (for those pursuing a CPM) that is opening in my area. I think I would benefit greatly from it. I hope they will offer some a la carte courses and clinical experiences.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment