Hopeful Someday CNM...

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Hello all,

I'm just beginning to wrap up my first semester of nursing school. I'm so blessed to have found my calling! It's been a wonderful, albeit stressful lol, ride.

The main reason I decided to go to nursing school, was to become a midwife. In my state, a midwife has to acquire a Masters degree in order to practice-no big deal. The problem is, my program doesn't have an OB rotation ?... So, I'm currently trying to think of any and all possible ways to get experience in L&D/obstetrics and build my resume. I need Ideas, please!

I've already come up with:

Shadowing

Volunteer work (I volunteered in the NICU last year)

Becoming doula certified (although, I didn't realize how extensive the program is :/ )

Is there anything else I can do to gain experience?? Any other advice is greatly appreciated as well!

Thanks everyone!

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

I would recommend trying to get into L&D as an RN once you graduate. I would not recommend trying to go through a doula program, something that is nearly as time-intensive as nursing school, while you're also in a nursing program. I think you would do better just focusing on doing the best you can in your nursing program. I have to say I'm surprised you do not have any type of OB rotation - I thought that was a requirement to be ACEN/CCNE certified and to sit for the NCLEX.

But I know many CNMs who did not have any experience in L&D as a nurse, so even if you cannot get experience on obstetrics, that shouldn't prevent you from applying to a graduate nursing program with the goal of becoming a nurse-midwife.

Requiring a Master's degree to be a CNM is not unique to your state - that is a requirement for all states.

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Yes, you're right. I suppose, I meant to say that to become a midwife, in my state you must become a CNM by obtaining a master's degree at minimum. Although, some other states require much less to become a midwife (not CNM). The reason I mentioned this was because it would be awful to go through all that schooling without ever actually experiencing it, only to find out I don't actually like it.

And yes, I find it strange as well that my program doesn't offer regular rotations.

Thanks for the advice!

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

Sorry, I was under the impression that you were referring only to certified nurse midwives (based on the title of your thread) not non-certified homebirth midwives. In order to work as a midwife in any hospital setting in any state, you must be a CNM, and that requires, at minimum, a master's degree, in any state.

For homebirths, it totally depends on the state. In some states, there is very little oversight and no standardized training required. Scary stuff.

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Specializes in Reproductive & Public Health.

I would encourage you to go for your CNM as opposed to a direct entry program. Once you get your CNM, it is fairly easy to meet the qualifications for CPM certification, but the reverse is NOT TRUE. I became a CPM in 2006, and because of the different certification bodies, none of my coursework was transferable to CNM school and I basically had to start from scratch. And the regulations around non-nurse midwifery vary widely from state to state. I practiced in Florida, where CPMs are licensed and get medicaid/insurance reimbursement. Practicing midwifery without a license is against the law in Florida. Now I live in MA, where non-nurse midwifery is not regulated and anyone can hang a shingle and call themselves a midwife. Very scary stuff. Plus, AFAIK there are no states that allow CPMs to have hospital privileges (NOR SHOULD THEY), and your scope of practice is very limited as a CPM. No GYN care, no complicated pregnancies, and extremely limited, if any, prescriptive abilities.

However, I will say that my out of hospital experience as a CPM has been invaluable. Unfortunately, most CNM programs are not able to offer home birth experience, and it is very easy to fall into the "mini-OB" model when you get all your OB experience in a busy tertiary hospital.

I would actually highly recommend doula work. While you do need training, you do NOT need to be certified to provide this service. You could also consider getting trained as a childbirth educator- a great way to learn about L&D and make contacts in the field. Working as an RN in LDRP is great, but absolutely not necessary to being a competent CNM. If you can find a HB midwife who will let you shadow, I would jump on that opportunity!

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I think my wordage was unclear. Essentially, my goal is to get my masters in science of nursing with a concentration in midwifery, achieving my certification in nurse midwifery. This is what I meant. I too believe that direct entry midwifery is a frightening concept.

That's interesting. I didn't know that a doula certification isn't necessary for practice. I'm curious as to how to go about getting involved in that area. Does that apply to all states? I know many states are cracking down on home births (including mine where it is illegal to attend one as a CNM). I'll have to do more research I suppose.

Thank you :)

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Hi! I'm training in the DONA doula program. DONA is the most respected doula association and after looking through all of the other options, it also seems to be the most educational and prepares you the best. And fortunatly it isn't intensive at all really. You have to read a lot of books, but that's on your own time. Then you attend a 2 day workshop where you learn most of the information. The hardest part is finding births to attend. You have to attend at least 3 births that fit certain requirements and then write a paper about everything. (This explaination is a very short summary of the program but the information is on the website) All of this needs to be done within 2 years of buying the Certification Packet, which doesnt have to be purchased until right before your first birth. So I got most everything done before my 2 year time block actually started. You have so much time to attend the births that it shouldn't interfere with anything if you just plan a few weeks around the estimated due date. It's a great way to gain L&D experience and very rewarding regardless!

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Specializes in Reproductive & Public Health.

Also important to note that certification is NOT needed to practice as a doula.

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That's nice to know! How would I go about getting into that?

Thanks so much!

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Doula training is by no means extensive! You can do the training alone and NOT pursue to become certified, which is extensive. My DONA training was a 3 day workshop, 8 hours a day. Had some books to read on your own but basically that was it. I ended up getting pregnant right after and decided not to pursue certification (although you do not even need certification to practice as a doula, most clients do not even know to ask). The DONA website usually keeps a list of all ongoing training but by no means is it the only program. There are actually a few online. There are probably at least 10 different organizations that offer doula training.

Also a great thing would be childbirth education, it is what I will be pursuing soon, and certification is easier to get and practicing doesn't involve the on call lifestyle that being a doula requires

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Thanks AspiringNurseMW! I didn't know you could take such a short course or that you don't necessarily have to be certified. That's great!

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Specializes in Reproductive & Public Health.

I second the recommendation to pursue childbirth ed training! It's a great way to get familiar with LDRP practices and to make contacts in the field.

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