Future CNMs

Specialties CNM

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Just thought it would be kind of nice to get a little chat going. I know there are a couple of us who are CNM wannabes buthave worries too. My biggest concern is . Hopefully something will be done soon. I don't mind the schedule.

For me it is a calling. Everything about OB/gyn is fascinating to me. I am also really supportive of the midwifery model of care and its affect on both mother and baby. Countries who use the mw model of care have lower infant mortality rates. Even in the US, where we ranked around 40 last year-- not good, when adjusted for the fact drs had higher risk pts, mw's had lower infant mortality rates in the first year. I don't like the MD care for low risk pgs.

Does anyone know if cnm's every work for the hospital and do shift work?

So what are your worries, hopes and why do you want to be (or are you) a CNM.

Specializes in OB, lactation.

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I'll take the first 15 schools -from Baylor through Oregon Health & Science University

Andrea take the second 15, San Diego State through Univ of Minnesota

CNM2B, take the last 14: Univ of New Mexico through Yale on the Master's page, plus the 4 on the certificate page.

Here's the Master's page:

http://www.midwife.org/edu/masters.cfm

Here's the post-bachelor's certificate page:

http://www.midwife.org/edu/postbacc.cfm

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Specializes in OB, lactation.

Ragingmomster, good idea to ask for organization memberships for christmas!

They are always so $$$... there are several I'd like to be part of: ILCA (lactation consultants), AWOHNN, ACNM, etc.

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Is this ok?:

I'll take the first 15 schools -from Baylor through Oregon Health & Science University

Andrea take the second 15, San Diego State through Univ of Minnesota

CNM2B, take the last 14: Univ of New Mexico through Yale on the Master's page, plus the 4 on the certificate page.

Here's the Master's page:

http://www.midwife.org/edu/masters.cfm

Here's the post-bachelor's certificate page:

http://www.midwife.org/edu/postbacc.cfm

Sounds good. I will start emailing tonight. Today I have to clean the house. Yuck!

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Specializes in OB, lactation.

Great! I'll probably start tonight also. :)

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Specializes in OB, lactation.

just wanted to btt this and let yall know I haven't forgotten about it... :)

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hello*~

i am also planning the route to a cnm practice someday. i live in oregon, and oregon health sciences university is where i will go (no question).

i am currently an lpn, and will finish the adn program next june. then one more year in a rn/bsn program full time. the cnm program at ohsu is 2 full years, so it will be 2008 before i am done!! (yikes!).

i am also a doula, and mainly provide services pro-bono to low income or teen parents. i am 30 and a mom to three wonderful kids (son 12, and girls 9 & 5). unfortunately, due to preterm labor with all three i had an ob attending their births. i wish i had had a cnm though.

i agree that i feel an insane calling to be a midwife. i applied and was even accepted into a direct-entry midwifery program years ago, but i just could not justify the cost vs. future job security. i feel that as a cnm, i will be able to provide the services and choices to women that they deserve. i hope to join a practice, but may end up starting my own with other cnms. the malpractice issue is one that keeps me up at night sometimes, wondering if things will all work out in the end.

i feel the need to make a difference in women's lives, and by being there when they give birth. that time is just so magical. yes, i am glad we have the medical equipment for live-saving care, but it is rarely needed. birth is not a medical event. however, it does not hurt to be well trained in all aspects of care. by becoming an rn first, this allows me to stay focused on the patient's well being and care not just "medical procedures".

nice to meet some with common goals! let me know if you have any questions about ohsu's program. i have collected quite a stack if info over the years. it does not offer classes by distance learning, i know that for a fact. however, it is an excellent program and i can't wait.

have a great day!

just thought it would be kind of nice to get a little chat going. i know there are a couple of us who are cnm wannabes buthave worries too. my biggest concern is malpractice insurance. hopefully something will be done soon. i don't mind the schedule.

so what are your worries, hopes and why do you want to be (or are you) a cnm.

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I have to agree with the get experience thing. I work in a very CNM friendly hospital and so I have seen lots of CNM students over the years. We have 10 OB's (5 in one practice) and the 5 Ob practice has 5 of their own CNM's. They are great! I also feel that being an RN BEFORE going to midwifery school is a plpus for the student. programs like Yale make non nurse students RN's in ONE year, which IMHO, is ridiculous. In summation, I think those CNM students who were RN's BEFORE going to midwifery school make far better CNM's. I would never go on to midwifery school. Too much liability, too much responsibility, too much everything. I am lucky enough to work in a wonderful low risk, low intervention LDRP. Good luck to all of you. You'll need it. CNm's often do far more then the docs!

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It is not unusual for one twin to be born lady partslly and the other be by section.

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Hi, I'm also a future midwife. I'm a freshmen in the associates nursing program (technically a sophmore, though, since I went through the "pre-nursing" program last year and got all my pre-requisites out of the way). I'm thinking after I get my bachelors, I'll either attend SUNY Stoneybrook, or Frontier School of Midwifery, as I see many of you are considering as well.

I'm 23 years old, and have three children. I had a pretty bad experience with my first child's birth. The nurse put medication (Nubain) in my IV without my knowledge or consent. I ended up having breastfeeding difficulties, and nobody was able to help me. It turns out I have breast hypoplasia, so with my next two kids I used the SNS to nurse and give my babies supplements. Two of my three children were born at home, unassisted. They were amazing, empowering, uncomplicated births. My first child was 9 lbs 13 oz (lady partsl), my second was my smallest at 9 lbs (lady partsl of course), and my third child was 10 lbs 8 oz (again, lady partsl).

I went through training to be a doula, and did everything except for the births. Nobody wants a young doula, and even the older more experienced doulas in this area rarely get called to attend a birth.

I knew I wanted to be a midwife, and at first I was thinking about being a lay midwife. But, it's illegal in my state, and I didn't want that battle. I figure if I'm going to go to college, might as well go the full route and become a certified nurse midwife. Then, hopefully, I'll be taken seriously. A lot of people don't pay any mind when I mention the possible side effects of pitocin or epidurals ("Oh, my doctor says it's completely safe!" or "No, the doctor said that the epidural had nothing to do with the fact that I ended up with a c-section for failure to progress/decreased fetal heartrate."). *sigh*

There isn't a single certified nurse midwife in my county. The local hospital has a 32.9% cesarean section rate. It's bad. I want to change things here. I love this area. But, I'm afraid the struggle would be worthless, and nothing would change, and I'd end up being unable to practice or/and in jail!

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I just started Frontier last month and it is an amazing school. It is one of the most respected in the field and the faculty is incredible! I researched many schools and kept coming back to Frontier. I will never regret my decision to go there. It will be a hard 2 years but definately worth it in the end. The comraderie and sense of community among the staff and students keeps everyone going. I can't say enough about what an amazing school it is.

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Specializes in OB, lactation.

Cool to hear from other future CNM's! I'd love to hear more about your paths and programs!

on another note...ahem... I still haven't forgotten about writing the programs (the discussion from before)... I just haven't done it!! LOL

But it looks like I'm in the same boat as aymdim and CNM2b... are yall out there?

I am finally starting clinicals in my program and I'm thrilled (although it's in a nursing home so it's kind of at the other end of the spectrum). I am part-time, my full-time classmates from last year are in their peds/OB rotations right now and I'm so jealous!!! I was happy to hear that they talked about midwives and saw some kind of video about them (or the distinction between OBs/midwives). Even heard they showed water birth. I kind of had the idea that they made it sound like CNM's did mainly home/water births (more like the non-nurse midwives' role, CPMs, LMs, etc.), which is of course where some work, but really not where most CNM's are working, but I was really happy they talked about it. The one guy I talked to asked me how the babies can be born in the water (guess they didn't get into a lot of detail) :)

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I am glad to read that you want to be a CNM, i did it the hard way midwifery school then BSN and working on MSN I am now teaching Ob in an LPN school I miss the closeness i had w my clients and run into them at Walmart a lot but @56 it was too much on this old body. make sure that you get into a practice that has your values w managed care it seems the bottom line is more important than patients. How do you save the world? one baby at a time good luck midwiftippitoes

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