I'm currently a BSN student in my sophomore year. My ultimate goal is becoming a CNM, preferably through Frontier. Now, my problem is that I have no experience whatsoever in women's health, while Frontier and most other schools require 1 year of experience as a pre-requisite. So my questions are as follows:
1. What are some things I can do while in nursing school to improve my chances of getting in (except becoming a doula or a lactation consultant)?
2. I thought of becoming certified in OB-GYN sonography but I'm having a difficult time understanding the different requirements and certifications. If anybody can try to clear that up I would really appreciate it.
3. Are there any CNM programs that don't require any type of experience?
I think working as a doula is valuable experience because it gives you a sense of the lifestyle of a midwife. The hours are long and unpredictable. Labors can be very, very long and while I adore labor sitting, somehow it becomes less exciting at 4am when I've been up for 24+ hours. And there is a lot of tragedy, drama and sadness in obstetrics.
Catching babies sounds very, very romantic. But the reality of midwifery is far less rosy. I love my job, don't get me wrong. I could never do anything but midwifery. But I would be hesitant to take out student loans and invest my time and energy in a career like that unless I had at LEAST dabbled my toes in the water.
cayenne06, MSN, CNM
1,394 Posts
I think working as a doula is valuable experience because it gives you a sense of the lifestyle of a midwife. The hours are long and unpredictable. Labors can be very, very long and while I adore labor sitting, somehow it becomes less exciting at 4am when I've been up for 24+ hours. And there is a lot of tragedy, drama and sadness in obstetrics.
Catching babies sounds very, very romantic. But the reality of midwifery is far less rosy. I love my job, don't get me wrong. I could never do anything but midwifery. But I would be hesitant to take out student loans and invest my time and energy in a career like that unless I had at LEAST dabbled my toes in the water.