Path to CNM

Rachanee · Mar 21, 2016

I am an RN and a grad student working on my CNM. A registered nurse program includes both class work and clinical hours. It is a generalized nursing education. There are no speciality focuses for a RN degree. You can chose to pursue an associates degree (ASN or ADN) or a baccalaureate degree (BSN) in nursing. If your goal is to get your masters degree (MSN) to become a CNM you will need a BSN at some point, unless you do a CNM ASN to MSN bridge program. There are often prerequisites to nursing programs as well. There really are no short cuts to becoming a CNM. While some of the courses may seem like they're not directly related, your nursing education will be a foundation for your practice and education as a midwife. Labor & Delivery nurses are RNs. Most hospitals are leaning towards hiring mostly BSN prepared RNs so if you are planning on working as an L&D nurse for a period of time you may want to consider pursing your BSN and work on making some connections while in school. It'll be a lot of work, but completely worth it if it's where your heart is.

strawberrycupcakes · Mar 21, 2016

I am an RN and a grad student working on my CNM. A registered nurse program includes both class work and clinical hours. It is a generalized nursing education. There are no speciality focuses for a RN degree. You can chose to pursue an associates degree (ASN or ADN) or a baccalaureate degree (BSN) in nursing. If your goal is to get your masters degree (MSN) to become a CNM you will need a BSN at some point, unless you do a CNM ASN to MSN bridge program. There are often prerequisites to nursing programs as well. There really are no short cuts to becoming a CNM. While some of the courses may seem like they're not directly related, your nursing education will be a foundation for your practice and education as a midwife. Labor & Delivery nurses are RNs. Most hospitals are leaning towards hiring mostly BSN prepared RNs so if you are planning on working as an L&D nurse for a period of time you may want to consider pursing your BSN and work on making some connections while in school. It'll be a lot of work, but completely worth it if it's where your heart is.

Hello, Rachanee, thank you for your reply! There's a school that offers a BSN program in my area and I am planning on going there and getting my BSN degree. With the BSN program does it require you to work as a general RN or could it be in a specific department (such as L&D)? I have a really unrealistic fear that I'll have to do scary procedures in class or in labs ect. Thank you for your help, have a nice night!

**LibraSunCNM, BSN, MSN, CNM** · Mar 21, 2016

So I think you have some information confused, I'll try to help you sort it out. It doesn't help that in the U.S., there are multiple pathways to become both a nurse and a midwife, so don't feel bad! I will answer your questions in bold below them.

Hello again, allnurses lovelies!
I'm sorry for starting a new topic, I'm new here, and I don't know if that's considered rude or not. I made a thread a few days ago about maybe becoming a CNM, and it's the first thing I've ever felt called to. I tried researching it on my own, but it just made my head spin. If you could explain it to me in simplest terms (like a ten year old, lol) that would be great. So here's my situation.
(You can probably skip this,I'm not sure if it's relevant, but including in case) I'm a 17 year old (18 before the January 2017 semester) and I hope to become a CNM. I had very good grades in high school until circumstances caused me to drop out halfway through my junior year. I begin classes next week, and will take my ACT and GED test (it's basically a diploma equivalent for everyone not in America), but beyond that I have no idea what I'll do education wise.
I've heard about becoming an RN before working as an RN for a total of 4 years degree (I would love to do an accelerated program, if it's acceptable to midwife programs) and experience before going to a new place for specific CNM training.
Ah yes- my questions.
1. Are 2 year apprentice programs acceptable to CNM training programs?
This is my first point of confusion---2 year apprentice programs for what? Nursing? That doesn't exist. If you're talking about the pathway to become a certified professional midwife, as Cayenne detailed, that will unfortunately count for absolutely nothing when it comes to becoming a certified NURSE midwife. You could become a CPM first, then become a CNM, but you would just be spending more money and time than you need to.
2. When you have your RN degree, is it acceptable to work around L&D wards with it? Is a labor and delivery nurse an RN degree?
In the U.S., all nursing programs are generalist programs. There is no specialty focus. After you become an RN, you can work in any specialty you want, including L&D. So an L&D nurse has an RN degree, but so does an ICU nurse, an ED nurse, etc. Everyone has the same basic degree. The specialty training comes in when you actually get the job on the specialty unit.
3. What is getting an RN degree like? Is it classwork, is it doing RN things, or is it just very general health & science type education?
RN programs vary. Some are traditional, 4 year bachelor's degrees. Some are accelerated bachelor's degrees for people who have a pre-existing bachelor's in another area, which are generally 1 to 1 and a half years long. Some are associate's degrees, which take about 2-3 years instead of the traditional 4. Finally, some people get a nursing diploma offered by a hospital-affiliated school of nursing, which usually also takes about 2-3 years, but no actual degree is awarded, unlike a BSN or ADN program. I would advise you to get a traditional, 4 year bachelor's degree, since you are 17.
4. Are there any RN programs that have a midwifery/ L&D focus?
No. As stated before, all RN programs are generalist programs. You will have a rotation in OB, but that will be one of several different rotations into different clinical areas.
If there's something I'm forgetting, I'll add it here. Thanks and have a nice day, loves!

Does that help at all?

rd62 · Mar 21, 2016

I am an RN and a grad student working on my CNM. A registered nurse program includes both class work and clinical hours. It is a generalized nursing education. There are no speciality focuses for a RN degree. You can chose to pursue an associates degree (ASN or ADN) or a baccalaureate degree (BSN) in nursing. If your goal is to get your masters degree (MSN) to become a CNM you will need a BSN at some point, unless you do a CNM ASN to MSN bridge program. There are often prerequisites to nursing programs as well. There really are no short cuts to becoming a CNM. While some of the courses may seem like they're not directly related, your nursing education will be a foundation for your practice and education as a midwife. Labor & Delivery nurses are RNs. Most hospitals are leaning towards hiring mostly BSN prepared RNs so if you are planning on working as an L&D nurse for a period of time you may want to consider pursing your BSN and work on making some connections while in school. It'll be a lot of work, but completely worth it if it's where your heart is.

Would you be able to share more of your experience on your acceptance timeline, background/experence before acceptance and how you like the program so far? :geek:

Rachanee · Mar 22, 2016

Have you seen births in person before? They are a beautiful part of life, but not for the faint of heart. A woman may need repairs or a number of other "procedures". You will be required to demonstrate that you can place IVs, draw labs, place urinary catheters and much more in nursing school. You will be expected to do these things on a regular basis as a L&D nurse. What do you consider a "scary procedure"?

Rachanee · Mar 22, 2016

rd62,

I graduated with my ADN in December 2014. Started working as a newborn RN attending deliveries and in the NICU in January 2015. Was accepted into George Washington University's RN-MSN program in April 2015 and began in August 2015. I wrote an essay outlining my personal experience with midwives and interviewed with two CNMs who head the program before being accepted. I love the program so far. It is part time, I will be awarded the BSN degree in December 2016, and I will graduate with my MSN the summer of 2018. They have the program set up so that many courses are transferred into the MSN portion of the program as well. It is distance learning with some campus requirements. The clinicals are completed in your community. They also have a traditional MSN CNM program as well.

strawberrycupcakes · Mar 22, 2016

@LibraSunCNM Yes, that helps a lot, thank you!

strawberrycupcakes · Mar 22, 2016

@rd62-

I have not been in any program so far, I am hoping to enter one. I don't really have a number, but ten years or under would be nice. I have no experience with labor and delivery, if I'm being honest, just an interest. I'm not opposed to doing a certain number of years if it's necessary, which might not have come across well before, oops!

strawberrycupcakes · Mar 22, 2016

Rachanee-

Thank you for your reply! If I'm being honest, no I have never been in person at a birth. I love watching documentaries about birth, but have never actually seen one in person. I should've clarified, unknowns scare me. I know what catheters and IVs and blood draws are, therefore no, they aren't scary to me. It does help to hear about what will be expected for me in nursing school, though, so thank you!

I would love to shadow either an L&D nurse or a midwife, but sadly the midwives and L&D nurses in my area don't accept "shadowers" (I can understand why) so I can't really gain any experience, but I hope I can gain those connections in school. Thanks again!

rd62 · Mar 22, 2016

rd62,
I graduated with my ADN in December 2014. Started working as a newborn RN attending deliveries and in the NICU in January 2015. Was accepted into George Washington University's RN-MSN program in April 2015 and began in August 2015. I wrote an essay outlining my personal experience with midwives and interviewed with two CNMs who head the program before being accepted. I love the program so far. It is part time, I will be awarded the BSN degree in December 2016, and I will graduate with my MSN the summer of 2018. They have the program set up so that many courses are transferred into the MSN portion of the program as well. It is distance learning with some campus requirements. The clinicals are completed in your community. They also have a traditional MSN CNM program as well.

Thanks for such a quick reply! Do you know if many students were accepted without prior experience in L&D? I just started working on a med-surg/tele floor as I couldn't land a position in mother baby or L&D being that I was fresh out of an ADN program. How is the online format? Several assignments due weekly, videos? And how helpful is the program in assisting you find a suitable location for clinical? I live in Florida so a major factor is knowing whether the farther the hometown the more difficult it is or more problems one may come across..if you haven't experienced that first hand have you heard of anyone that has?

rd62 · Mar 22, 2016

@rd62-
I have not been in any program so far, I am hoping to enter one. I don't really have a number, but ten years or under would be nice. I have no experience with labor and delivery, if I'm being honest, just an interest. I'm not opposed to doing a certain number of years if it's necessary, which might not have come across well before, oops!

It would be great if you could shadow a CNM or midwife to get a real idea of what it's like. Or at least like an OB/GYN just so you can see a live birth. I found that shadowing and volunteering opportunities really helped guide me towards my decision to become a CNM. From there you can maybe try to get some experience as a doula depending on your RN program schedule and intensity. In this day and age it may be better to do things on the cheaper side and start all your pre-reqs and beginning courses at a CC and then go to a university and complete what you need for a BSN degree, if that's possible. :)