Kicked out of school for being pregnant!?

Specialties CNM

Published

Help!

I am currently a nursing student in an entry-to-practice midwifery program and, after meeting with my program director last week, was told that we would, essentially, be kicked out of the midwifery program if we become pregnant while we are in school!!!

Has anyone ever heard of anything like this? Is this even remotely legal?! Why would a midwifery program (of all things!) have such an antiquated and biased policy? Shouldn't we, as midwives, be fighting AGAINST the image of pregnancy as an illness or a fragile state in which women need to be treated like delicately-ticking time-bombs?

I am not currently pregnant, but I do have one child and I'm in my early 30's, so I do not feel like I can put off childbearing indefinitely. I was (before last week!) planning on trying to get pregnant towards the middle-end of my program so that I could deliver after graduation (and be home with the baby while I look for work!) - The program I am in is very intense, fast-paced and competitive (I know, doesn't really seem to jive well with the whole idea of midwifery!) but I am anxious to get through it and be done with school - it has taken me 10 years to get here and I can't imagine losing my chance or having to choose between pursuing my life's goals and expanding my family.

Please, if anyone has any ideas or just feedback, I'm really in a mess over this!

Thank you

Specializes in cardiac med-surg.

for gosh sakes, it's 2006 !

Help!

I am currently a nursing student in an entry-to-practice midwifery program and, after meeting with my program director last week, was told that we would, essentially, be kicked out of the midwifery program if we become pregnant while we are in school!!!

Has anyone ever heard of anything like this? Is this even remotely legal?! Why would a midwifery program (of all things!) have such an antiquated and biased policy? Shouldn't we, as midwives, be fighting AGAINST the image of pregnancy as an illness or a fragile state in which women need to be treated like delicately-ticking time-bombs?

I am not currently pregnant, but I do have one child and I'm in my early 30's, so I do not feel like I can put off childbearing indefinitely. I was (before last week!) planning on trying to get pregnant towards the middle-end of my program so that I could deliver after graduation (and be home with the baby while I look for work!) - The program I am in is very intense, fast-paced and competitive (I know, doesn't really seem to jive well with the whole idea of midwifery!) but I am anxious to get through it and be done with school - it has taken me 10 years to get here and I can't imagine losing my chance or having to choose between pursuing my life's goals and expanding my family.

Please, if anyone has any ideas or just feedback, I'm really in a mess over this!

Thank you

ibambamama~

I'm curious to know--what have you found out about this? Is it legal? (because I think it just can't be!)

let us know what is happening....

I read through all of the posts and then read your post again and realized that you said "essentially." Did the professor/advisor said things like it will be "nearly impossible" or "highly unlikely" that you would be able to stay with the class?

The reason I am asking is because *discouraged* is not the same as *expelled*...I agree that this is insane but I just wanted to suggest that you clarify before paying for an attorney or anything else!

Please let us know how it goes!

LP

Thanks so much to everyone for replying. I've had some time now to digest all of this - and yes, it is crazy (and yes, very illegal!) although, as lovingpecola pointed out, wording is probably everything (I believe her exact wording to me was, "it will be at my (the program director's) discretion whether or not you will be allowed to continue on in the program" - so perhaps that's how she gets away with this kind of bullying.

Nevertheless, I am going to stay where I am and slog through. I've spoken with many midwives (as well as doctors and medical students) over the past week or so, including a few alumni of this program, and they have all reassured me that I should just go through with the program and what I do with my personal life is my own business.

Thanks again for all the support!

Just want to encourage you to keep on and don't be discouraged. I knew a co-worker once a long time ago who was lucky to have been in a very competitive ADN program. She became pregnant and was told to leave the program until the child was born and was promised her seat when she was ready to return. However, when she went back, lo and behold, there was no more RN program seat for her. She was told she could finish in the LPN program, take it or leave it. Obviously, something was wrong with this deal somehow. When she told me about it, I remarked about the obvious (after all you have to consider it) maybe she was undergoing added discrimination because of her race (it was already not a secret that she had been homeless). Just out of curiosity, I have always wondered why that school did what it did to this person. It just seemed so unjustified at the time. If she was not hacking the RN program academically, then she should have been booted for those reasons and not for being pregnant. Just my thoughts on the matter. Not meant to discourage you or put things in the negative, but meant to encourage you to not let this stop you from completing your program, you are too much invested in it. ((In contrast, in my BSN program, there was a lady who was pregnant for number 7 and it seemed that everyone laid out the red carpet for her along the way; maybe because she was not of the wrong race and socioeconomic class. Just goes to show you how differently people can be treated.))

Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.

Expulsion from any nursing program for pregnancy in and of itself is definitely illegal - That is, as long as the student in question is still meeting the requirements of the program - especially classroom attendance and clinical requirements (as spelled out in the syllabus and student handbook).

Specializes in Diabetes, Primary care.

May be what he meant was the following. Pregnant women tend to feel bad for various reasons, and miss classes. (I personally had acute kidney infections 3 times during 1 pregnancy). Therefore, it is highly likely that you will fall behind and as a result will have to leave the program. But if you are pregnant and not sick and don't ask for mercy, you will stay and be ok. May be it was just his peculiar way of telling you PLEASE DO NOT GET PREGNANT.

Another version: may be there was an incident of someone losing a baby due to the stresses of the program, and suing the school afterwards?

Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

And what, if you accidentally get pregnant they will expect you to get an abortion or get kicked out??? I highly doubt this is legal, I would ask the director to produce a paper that shows it is legal to do this or else she will be getting a paper from you when you get pregnant.....

Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

This is illegal.

Specializes in Home Care, Peds, Public Health, DD Health.

I am in school right now and we were told that we had to notify them IF we get pregnant. I think it has more to do with the fact that #1 we are not allowed to miss more than two clinical days and #2 that there is a lifting requirement. I had been told early on "goodbye" because my doctor wrote that i had a lifting requirement for my back and that I "shouldnt stand for long periods". Thankfully, my back specialist asked for the specific rules- must be able to....etc and then okayed me for the clinical and thankfully I havent had any problems! We have one student that is scheduled to deliver over christmas break and another that should be okay until graduation.

an angels mommy

Specializes in Telemetry, Case Management.

I know this is an old post, but back in the old days (1983) my DON at school noticed my tummy and asked if I were pregnant. She told me I should not continue the next semester but drop out. She said, NO ONE that got pregnant, and still had school left to complete after the birth EVER finished.

I am a stubborn girl and decided if she said I COULDN"T do it, then by golly, I would show her I would. And I did.

In any case, I would think its none of their business, and as long as you can keep up with your classes, why should it matter?

Absolutely not legal! I'm in a midwifery program and due this summer...As long as you can complete your classes and clinical hours then no they cannot "kick" you out. However, they do not have to be very accommodating and you may feel like they might as well kick you out.

+ Add a Comment