Hard to stay interested in this forum once graduated

Well, I'd be honest, I didn't go into nursing to be a nurse. I was on a tunnel vision towards getting my CNM. In fact, I hated nursing, felt that it was the most thankless job. I was right and I was wrong. In many ways, I still think it's thankless and eats the life out of you and am so glad I don't have to do it anymore. But I think that having gone through nursing education was the best thing that ever happened to me personally and professionally. The theories behind nursing is truly phenomenal in my opinion, and ironically I think the only way that I could put those theories into practice is in advanced nursing practice such as in my CNM and WHNP roles because I have true autonomy in these roles. When I was in L&D for the one year to get my one experience (don't recommend it), I just didn't have the luxury, or time or the power to put theory into practice.

I am sure there are nurses who disagree with me, and feel contented in their jobs, but contentment isn't the same wanting to implement nursing in a perfect world, and for me, being a CNM is as perfect as it could get to real nursing as envisioned by the theorists.

I guess I sort of veered away from your query, so to get back to it, if you really want to get an advanced degree, hunker down and do it. It's the hardest thing you'd ever have to do, and the most rewarding. And if you want to know why you should choose to be a CNM, I quote myself on a recent thread about dealing with fear. I hope this encourages anyone who has any doubt about entering the amazing profession of midwifery:

Recently I read an article about “the greatest job is the world”. This guy won a generously paid “work” enjoying everything on the islands near the barrier reef. All he had to do was to try out everything the islands had to offer for free and blog about it. When I first came across this, my first reaction was (smugly) “that’s not the greatest job in the world.” (I know)

So in response to the fear element that’s being brought up, bear with me while I get a little gushy, and tell you I think why THIS, this midwifery thing IS really the greatest job in the world. Just saying I love midwifery doesn’t quite do it. So here goes…

When we first started our intrapartum semester and I started to learn birth mechanism and sciences, I was kind of in a suspended state of disbelief. I had an out of body experience, like I'm watching myself learn. I couldn't believe that I was going to be expected to do that, even though I had worked so hard to get there. When you first go into care of women and obstetrics it’s exciting, but it's not jumping off a cliff. So yes, catching a baby can be a frightening thing in the beginning. But once you’ve jumped off the cliff several times, midwifery is no longer about a fear. It’s about much more than that.

On a normal day, midwifery is a combination of hand skills, quick responses, whilst your mind scans the environment with a "periphery vision". Your woman is your patient, the baby is your patient, the family and friends present at the birth are your patients. So you're working on the psychological level and on a level invisible to everyone else. You are thinking about the baby and the mother's condition. You are on alert for any signs of danger. You know your intervention, your meds like the back of your hand. You've done your shoulder dystocia drills so that you can react fast if needed. You know how to summon the team together in a second when the need arises. But you look calm, in control, like nothing bad will happen on your watch. And when baby appears, and everything’s successful, which is the way it usually ends, the mother goes to bits, and darn it, she totally doesn’t think what you had to do.

She doesn’t know about your expertise, the pride you take in research based practice, your hand skills, your lightning reaction. She’ll never know quite how good (or bad) you are. BUT for the rest of her life, she will be affected by your touch, your voice, your words. And she will know, that in the neediest moment of her life, the most important moment a woman could experience, she was the center of your universe. That fraction of a percentage of the rest of her life, she will always recall with great joy. Or not. You can make that difference. And you can do it every day that you go to work.

Isn't that wonderful?

i wonder if it's even a good idea to group together all or some of the advanced practice forums. I certainly would enjoy learning about other NP experiences, and I'm sure we can learn from each other.

What do you expect from this forum? The best way to improve a forum is to participate in it and guide it, not complain about it

perhaps you don't understand the difference between complaining and starting a dialogue, which is quite the opposite. :)