L&D experience or keep going?

moo2be · Mar 19, 2017

Hi midwifemae,

As for me, I acquired work experienced after nursing school (BSN). I have a total of 8 yrs of experience. The last 3.5 yrs have been devoted in L&D and now, I have started my first semester (spring 17') of Nurse-Midwifery (CNM master's program) school at TTUHSC in Texas. I know that some Nurse Midwifery programs,(depending which school you applied) do require at least 1 yr of L&D experience or some type of OB clinical experience. So check with the program's requirements. Personally, I think that having some type of L&D, OB experience would be beneficial to have, because you would have been exposed to the environment of OB verses not having any experience would probably be hard to adjust and transition. But I say to you, use your own discretion and pray about it. Follow what is right for you. Best wishes to you and your studies!

**LibraSunCNM, BSN, MSN, CNM** · Mar 19, 2017

I was a high school junior when I decided to become a midwife and initially wanted to go straight through. However, actually attending nursing school, my eyes were opened to all the different areas of nursing, and I ended up really enjoying my journey instead of viewing nursing as a stepping stone only. I worked for two years in med/surg, and three years in postpartum before I graduated as a CNM (three of those 5 years I was in school working towards the degree). I wanted to get L&D experience, but the hospital where I worked, which had the best tuition assistance program in the area, has a pretty horrific (in my opinion) L&D service, with a soaring C/S rate and no midwives, so I decided to skip it. I do wish I had had more experience with reading tracings, and in the OR, but otherwise I felt my nursing experience before midwifery was enriching. I can't imagine not having worked as a nurse prior to midwifery, but many people do it (although it is almost always people who are coming into midwifery as a second career).