NICU travel to CNM

**LibraSunCNM, BSN, MSN, CNM** · Nov 17, 2020

I don't think it's necessary, personally, although it can be helpful. Others may disagree, but the fact remains that many midwifery programs are now direct-entry and require no nursing experience at all, so coming in with 5 years in NICU you'll be ahead of many of your cohort.

nja06, MSN, RN, APRN, NP, CNM · Nov 23, 2020

I don't think it is necessary, but it could help you got a lot of the fundamental exposure, knowledge, and skills started before you began as a student midwife. Because you have been in NICU I'm sure you have had some exposure to birth work already and that will serve you. Keep in mind some labor nurses have difficulty to undo some of their training when switching roles to the provider. There were a few students in my class that were nurses in other fields before and all of them struggled with a greater learning curve but ultimately were very successful except for the home health one who I felt was out of touch because she did not have acute care nursing experience. If you are still unsure if you want to invest in midwifery L&D could be a good place to start and sometimes even the end, but if you're sure you want to be a midwife then personally I would jump right in.

nbl01 · Nov 23, 2020

Okay thank you! That’s super helpful and encouraging!! I appreciate your responses! ?

jordanmichelleh, BSN, RN · Jan 26, 2021

I am a NICU nurse with 3 years of experience also considering applying to a CNM program! I am starting as a NICU travel nurse this Summer and considering school in Fall 2022 or Spring 2023. I have also toyed with the idea of changing specialties to L&D before my CNM program is complete. I would love to know how your journey with transitioning to CNM school and/or L&D is going?

HunterRN · Mar 10, 2021

I’m a current level III NICU nurse at a large maternal hospital. I’ve also thought of applying for a CNM program. I’m a male in the south and have found it relatively hard to become a staff nurse in LD. Women’s health is something I am passionate about! I love my babies too, but becoming an NNP has never really appealed to me.

nja06, MSN, RN, APRN, NP, CNM · Mar 10, 2021

I've seen males be very successful in labor and as midwives although seldomly. I say follow your dreams and you'll get there if you're passionate enough!

HunterRN · Mar 10, 2021

@nja06 thank you for the encouragement ? what programs do you suggest? What setting do you work in?

nja06, MSN, RN, APRN, NP, CNM · Mar 10, 2021

Of course! I'm happy to be a source of information and encouragement anytime! I've only recently graduated and am about to begin my first job as a CNM at a private practice which delivers within a hospital but offers real midwifery care and birth center vibes if the client desires. As a labor nurse I worked in several environments from small community hospitals where you had to be a jack of all trades to large units with separate expert teams for everything. In school I worked in a birthing center for my last rotation and out of hospital is another world of it's own, but it really helped me hone my support skills and increased my level of confidence to be autonomous. I went to Georgetown and my peers and I seem to have had a high standard compared to some other programs I have encountered. If I could go back and go somewhere else that cost less money or was at a brick and mortar location with built in clinical experience I probably would but it is what it is. I often felt it was a bad financial decision to go to GU, but I thought of it as an investment and I know now that I have an education which will carry me far and it is worth it to me. I've known many midwives that came from Frontier and I've seen mixed results. Some were amazing and others a bit cooky. Yale, Emory, Jefferson, Duke, UCSF all make great midwives. Cinncinatti seemed to have lower standards than I was held too. That is all I really know about the climate in that aspect.

nbl01 · Mar 10, 2021

On 1/25/2021 at 8:01 PM, jordanmichelleh said:

I am a NICU nurse with 3 years of experience also considering applying to a CNM program! I am starting as a NICU travel nurse this Summer and considering school in Fall 2022 or Spring 2023. I have also toyed with the idea of changing specialties to L&D before my CNM program is complete. I would love to know how your journey with transitioning to CNM school and/or L&D is going?

So I actually decided to continue in the NICU while going to school. I also was just accepted into Frontier! So I will have more updates later on how it’s going. I figured that getting that NICU experience and trying to see if I can join the team that goes to deliveries and really up my NRP skills would help me in the long run.

nbl01 · Mar 10, 2021

40 minutes ago, nja06 said:

Of course! I'm happy to be a source of information and encouragement anytime! I've only recently graduated and am about to begin my first job as a CNM at a private practice which delivers within a hospital but offers real midwifery care and birth center vibes if the client desires. As a labor nurse I worked in several environments from small community hospitals where you had to be a jack of all trades to large units with separate expert teams for everything. In school I worked in a birthing center for my last rotation and out of hospital is another world of it's own, but it really helped me hone my support skills and increased my level of confidence to be autonomous. I went to Georgetown and my peers and I seem to have had a high standard compared to some other programs I have encountered. If I could go back and go somewhere else that cost less money or was at a brick and mortar location with built in clinical experience I probably would but it is what it is. I often felt it was a bad financial decision to go to GU, but I thought of it as an investment and I know now that I have an education which will carry me far and it is worth it to me. I've known many midwives that came from Frontier and I've seen mixed results. Some were amazing and others a bit cooky. Yale, Emory, Jefferson, Duke, UCSF all make great midwives. Cinncinatti seemed to have lower standards than I was held too. That is all I really know about the climate in that aspect.

Thanks for all the information!! I was looking at GU and Frontier as my options and decided to go with Frontier. I really didn’t think I needed the dual degree and the it was sooo expensive at GU. I know 2 women who are at Frontier currently and they said they really liked the program. Last week I just found out that I was accepted into the Frontier program! It’s interesting reading your experience with midwives from the different programs. Congratulations on graduating and on landing your firm job as a midwife! That’s amazing!❤️

nja06, MSN, RN, APRN, NP, CNM · Mar 10, 2021

Many congratulations on getting into school! I've met MANY great midwives from Frontier-you know it was the founding Midwifery school in the country. The cooky ones probably had more to do with individual personality than program experience. Thank you so much-I'm so excited to begin!

2 hours ago, nbl01 said:

So I actually decided to continue in the NICU while going to school. I also was just accepted into Frontier! So I will have more updates later on how it’s going. I figured that getting that NICU experience and trying to see if I can join the team that goes to deliveries and really up my NRP skills would help me in the long run.

I think staying in the NICU was a great idea and good thing you got birth experience by attending more deliveries. I think your ICU and neonatal skills will serve you very well!