Good midwifery schools USA or Great Britain?

Stefnp · Jul 23, 2014

University of Washington is supposed to be an amazing on site program.

mamagui · Jul 24, 2014

You should pick a program from the country in which you wish to practice. I do know that there is a LOT of red tape to practicing midwifery in the US if you have been educated abroad, but not sure about how Great Britain handles foreign educated midwives. If you are interested in Nurse Midwifery in the US, you should pick a program from this website Midwifery Education Programs - ACNM as they will allow you to sit for boards to get licensed. Good luck!

Stefnp · Jul 24, 2014

I meant university of Oregon (not Washington)

cayenne06, MSN, CNM · Aug 1, 2014

Baystate Midwifery Education in Springfield Ma! The best midwifery school in the world.

I might be biased, as I just finished my first year with them :)

Simplyroses · Aug 2, 2014

Oregon Health & Science University! Awesome face-to-face program and they arrange your clinical rotations. The faculty are very invested in the students. They also do water births in the hospital!

heart_and_hands · Sep 7, 2014

The US News & World Report rankings honestly don't mean too much, as there are a very limited number of programs anyway. I'd say the top few really are at the top, and the rest are all still good options. If you're able to get in contact with any new graduate midwives, they might be able to give you a little more nuanced information about different schools' reputations among students. When choosing a school, I looked at how active the faculty were in both practice and the professional community, and at how much variety the curriculum would provide in terms of types of settings and locations. Look at the intervention stats of the associated teaching hospital(s), too, and do your best to assess how well nurse-midwives and their students are integrated and respected into the birth services of the hospital (especially if there's a med school at the same institution; some places prioritize med students' training to student NMs' detriment). Another major point is your intended location to practice; if you're particularly set on a certain state or region, do strongly consider that area's CNM program, as local clinical experiences provide golden opportunities for job networking (and in a field this small, it's all about connections.) Choosing a school is like choosing a spouse; you need to know what's important to you and how to evaluate those qualities in a program, because in the end it doesn't matter how highly your school is ranked but rather if it's the right fit for you. I took my time when researching programs and ended up only applying to my two top choices, and am now in my absolute dream program; the application process was as much about knowing myself as knowing my options. Best of luck in your journey!