Future of WHNP

klone, MSN, RN · Jan 17, 2015

You can be a CNM and not deliver babies. I work with CNMs who work exclusively in clinic, doing routine prenatal care, postpartum, women's health/gyn, family planning, etc. If you KNOW for certain that you don't want to catch babies, then it would make more sense to do a WHNP program, because a large portion of your clinicals in a CNM program will be intrapartum management.

Definitely WHNP jobs are harder to find, but they are there. Places like Planned Parenthood hire WHNPs. Also, many OB/Gyn clinics hire WHNPs to help run their clinics and see their OB and gyn patients (and then just the OBs go for deliveries, and it works out well for many of them because they know that even if they get called away for a delivery, there is still someone at the clinic seeing patients).

RN.amour · Jan 17, 2015

Wow I didnt know CNM could do care in an office setting without catching babies. I will call my school and ask more about this program then. Would it make since to find a nursing job in an OB setting now? Or maybe even postpartum? Thanks so much for your response!

klone, MSN, RN · Jan 18, 2015

Well, again - from an schooling standpoint, it would make more sense to do a WHNP program if you KNOW you don't ever want to catch babies or work in a hospital/L&D setting, because CNM programs spend a lot of time doing labor/intrapartum management, both in the didactic as well as the clinicals.

The CNMs I mentioned who only work clinic were not hired in that capacity - their roles evolved over time as they got older and decided they were no longer interested in working inpatient. A facility or clinic who is specifically looking to hire a CNM is most likely looking for someone who can and will do labor management. So if you have a CNM license, you may have difficulty finding employment as a CNM if you're only wanting to work clinic. Unless of course, you applied only for WHNP positions (where that is the expectation) or somewhere like Planned Parenthood.

I just think that as far as schooling goes, it will probably be easier and less expensive to do a WHNP program if that's what you know for sure you want to do.

On the other hand....this just occurred to me - NP programs are all moving to DNP, and CNM programs haven't officially made that leap yet (not to say you can't find them, but they don't seem to be phasing out the MSN level CNM programs the way they are with NP programs). A DNP, I think, generally tacks another 6-12 months onto the program.

klone, MSN, RN · Jan 18, 2015

But yes, if your ultimate goal is to work in women's health in some capacity, I think that a job in OB/L&D/Mother-Baby would be more applicable and prepare you better than working in the NICU (although I have found that having at least a foundational NICU background has been helpful to me in my various jobs - it's always helpful to know what to expect on the other side in some of those L&D cases).

Heck, if you work L&D, you may found that you actually LIKE that part of women's health and you might change your mind about not wanting to catch babies. :)

Also, I have been working in an OB/Gyn clinic as a charge nurse/clinical supervisor and if you want to work as a WHNP, working in a clinic as an RN will give you AMAZING experience as far as what the WHNP role is. I've learned so much about Pap requirements, cotesting, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, polyps and fibroids, STIs, clue cells, etc. Things I NEVER knew anything about as an L&D nurse! But I recommend anyone who moves to clinic should start with a solid foundation in inpatient OB first.

RN.amour · Jan 18, 2015

Klone- thank you so much for that advice! I am going to try to gain some more experience in the NICU before trying to transition into a Mother/baby unit. This may be a dumb question but where can you find jobs in clinics are they posted on a website like indeed? Or would they be on the clinica actual website? I will take into consideration the schools phasing out the NP programs as well. Thank you so much for responding!! :)

klone, MSN, RN · Jan 18, 2015

Just to be clear - they're not phasing out NP programs, they're phasing out NP programs that are MSN - most of them are going to/have gone to DNP (the goal was that this would happen by 2015).

Clinic jobs - large clinics like Kaiser Permanente and even many smaller clinics will have a "jobs" section on their website. I've found that a lot of physician-owned/run clinics post positions for nurses, MAs, etc on Craigslist.

Upgrading_Status, BSN, MSN, RN, NP · Jan 29, 2015

I have a follow up question to this (hope you don't mind OP). What is the better route to travel if like OP you don't want to catch babies but do everything else in OB/GYN? CNM, FNP, or WHNP?

klone, MSN, RN · Jan 29, 2015

What is the better route to travel if like OP you don't want to catch babies but do everything else in OB/GYN? CNM, FNP, or WHNP?

WHNP

(message too short, so posting filler in here)