Pathway to get to CNM

[redhead512]

Hello! I am currently a student getting my BA in a non-nursing field. I have decided to switch my career path to nursing with the intention to become a CNM. However, there are so many paths to get there and I am very uncertain about which path to take to get there.

1) accelerated bachelors and then MSN for midwifery

2) general direct-entry MSN and then post-masters for midwifery

3) ADN and then RN-MSN for midwifery

Right now, I don't think that i'm a competitive applicant for 1 or 2. There are also a ton of prereqs that I need to take that are all different for every school you look at. I don't know where to start and it is extremely overwhelming.

Recently, I've been thinking of getting my ADN (which i could do in minimal time in addition to my BA) and then working for a year in L&D and then applying to the RN-MSN program. I feel like this is the best option because I can easily get into a ADN program considering I already have a degree, they have minimal prereqs (most of which I have already completed), and then I can work on getting relevant experience in the field. However, most job postings that I've seen in L&D require 1-2 years of RN experience. Would it be that much more difficult to find a relevant job with only having a ADN and not having a BSN?

Any thoughts or advice? I've been looking everywhere for answers and getting nowhere. I am extremely overwhelmed and confused right now and don't know where to start to make my dream a reality. Obviously, I'd like to do it in as little of time as possible, and since i'm graduating next year, I really need to figure out what my next step will be to make sure that I have the requirements finished in time.

[AspiringNurseMW]

As for which path is better, completely up to you and the entrance requirements for the schools. It really is different from school to school and unless you speak with a counselor there's not much help we can give you there.

It is very difficult to get a job in a specialty such as L&D right out of graduation. I think it's best if you call around hospitals in your area and ask... What are they looking for in new graduates (ADN or BSN) and if there are any schools they prefer their graduates from or like the best. Ask them about getting into a specialty such as L&D. I plan to take whatever job is available but I will also be conscientious about networking during school to see if I can get my foot in the door and into L&D sooner rather than later. I am applying for an ADN program at a community college, and then plan to do my RN to BSN online because I'll most likely want another child and I can work while I'm working on my BSN which also gives me more options on which midwifery school to apply to, although my heart is set on Frontier

[jamisaurus]

All of those options will get you where you need to go. I'm not sure where you're from, but you'll likely have difficulty finding a job with an ADN as a new grad in ANY nursing specialty, let alone L&d. There is no nursing shortage, just a shortage of jobs. I have a BSN (new grad) and I'm doing a year in the ICU with plans on transferring to L&d here in 8 months.

Plus, not all schools require L&d experience prior to applying. You can roll right into a CNM program as a new grad with no working RN experience. Most people say that RNs who have worked L&d integrate better in school, but it's something to keep in the back of your mind.

Last, you have no idea if you'll even like L&d if you're not even in nursing school yet/haven't done clinical. Some people come in to nursing school with set ideas of what they want to do and end up changing their minds (me one of them--I wanted to be a CRNA!). Take it one step at a time and your first step is nursing school.

[queenanneslace, ADN, MSN, APRN, CNM]

There are also direct-entry MSN programs for non-nurses. It's a graduate level program that admits non-nurses with Bachelor's degree. The first year or year and a half of courses is the RN portion, then followed by the Master's in a advanced nursing speciality, such as nurse-midwifery.

There are usually prerequisites that need to be completed in order to do this.

I think Yale offers this, Vanderbilt, maybe OSHU.

Check the ACNM website.

This is a streamlined process, but more expensive.

[duskyjewel]

I'm not sure where you're from, but you'll likely have difficulty finding a job with an ADN as a new grad in ANY nursing specialty, let alone L&d. There is no nursing shortage, just a shortage of jobs.

You may be able to reduce this difficulty if you are willing to relocate to a more rural, less oversaturated area in order to get a job and gain experience.

[cayenne06, MSN, CNM]

I will echo the previous posters- it is HARD to get into L&D. I also do not think L&D experience makes you a better CNM or makes it easier to integrate into CNM school. It can be difficult for L&D RNs to transition from the RN role to the provider role, and because OB is a specialty rife with outdated and (okay i'll say it) harmful practices, it is very easy to pick up bad habits working in labor and delivery.

IMNSHO, a better way to get OB experience is to become a doula. Childbirth education certification is another great way to become familiar with the speciality and gain some professional contacts.

As far as the best way to become a CNM- any of those options would work. I would do whatever would work best for you. If I were in your shoes, I would probably get my associates and try to get into an RN-CNM program. Beware, though- some students in distance programs have a terrible time finding preceptors.