Midwife??

If you're in the US, you have a couple of options for midwifery. For RNs, the most common step is to get your CNM, which is basically a masters of nursing with a concentration in midwifery. Each state regulates their advance practice nurses a little differently, but in my state (and I suspect most states are similar) a CNM is an ARNP who studies women's health and concentrates on midwifery.

What sort of midwife do you want to be? Homebirth, birth center, or hospital? I suggest you get an RN job working labor/delivery/postpartum in the environment in which you wish to practice. Work for a couple of years, then go back to school for your CNM.

Many state and private universities offer CNM programs. You can start gathering information by looking here, at the website for the American College of Nurse Midwives: http://www.midwife.org/

Start by searching the ACNM website, MANA website, Midwifery Today website, and reading about the midwifery model of care. Explore OB as much as possible while you are in school, and see about doing a doula certification program. Hang out with a couple of homebirth midwives in your area, see what types of births you want to facilitate. Also, starting on the recommended reading list in this forum is helpful.

Step #2...Get a job. Really. Although there are midwives that don't have RN experience, you are much better off to have some MedSurg experience, then some labor experience, then get your Advance Practice thing going. You need strong triage and assessment skills in advance practice and that does not come just from reading and clinical.

Best of luck to you.

First off: thank you for the responses!

I think birth center or home birth would be closer to the route I'd like to go!

As far as extra experience or a job, do you think PICU or NICU would be good places to work while working towards my CNM? Or just the labor and delivery unit? What would I do as an RN in that unit (my duties and such) :) ?

Thanks again!