SimpliFutureCNM

Take the job you feel you are more passionate towards. If you had a goal of peds, ICU, NICU, OB, etc then I would go the hospital route. But since you want your career to go in derm/aesthetics then go for it b/c you have the offers for it!

I know this is super old, but I am from Ohio and have worked for such company. I truly did not enjoy my employment with them. I felt unsafe as a new grad there, and no one listened to my concerns. I would reach out to different hospitals.

So I am not a CNM but did just land my new job as a labor & delivery nurse. I actually applied to CNM school prior to being offered the job and figured I would get the experience first. I think L&D would be very beneficial prior to becoming a CNM because there is SO much to learn. I am happy I delayed going back to school to get this experience. There are senior nurses on my unit who have been in L&D for more than 30-40 years. I also think pay is a factor in the two - some states pay a new grad CNM roughly the same as an L&D nurse with experience. Plenty of nurses do not want to go back to get their CNM for 100K or however much it costs and be in debt to just get paid roughly the same (again that varies, look into your states starting wage). So I think that plays a large role as well - other things include patient care. L&D nurses are with the patient the entire time and even can do couplet care if a unit is LDRP. A CNM may have multiple people to see in a shift and not enough quality patient time (However this varies), also a CNM usually has clinic time (depends again), whereas a L&D nurse is in the hospital all the time. My specific unit is a LDRP (labor & delivery, recovery, postpartum), so I am taking care of the patient throughout it all. I like the idea of staying on my unit for a year/two and possibly traveling! Traveling is paying a lot right now. These are just things off the top of my head. I am sure a CNM on here can give you a better perspective on their career vs an L&D nurse. Good Luck!

I am only 23 (I know super young LOL) so honestly time isn’t an issue. I guess now that I think about it, a year to just experience the specialty itself is not a bad thing to do especially with how young I am I have plenty of time. I have worked nights since I graduated last year so it’s not a huge deal. And I only have a husband, no kids thus far!

I have a quick question for you. So, as it turns out the L&D position that I had interviewed for early October wants to offer me the full time nights position now... I am in a dilemma because I obviously applied to CNM school and now have my school interview in a week and a half. I cannot work full time nights and go to school full time. Do you think this is an experience I should not pass up on? or do you think I will be fine without it? This unit is a LDRP and will be renovating 2 floors in the near future so they will have 3 separate floors for Labor/delivery, PP, and a specialty care nursery in which they will use the nurses they have to staff and hire new. In your experience, should I go for it and wait for my CNM or should I just continue with my schooling?

I agree with each statement made above. FNP is the most broad specialty, however, some locations/jobs you might be looking into may want specifically a Women's Health NP vs a FNP. FNP is not acute care as mentioned above, you will not get acute care rotations. I have actually applied to a CNM/WHNP dual program. Another thing a FNP cannot do is deliver babies (scope of a CNM only). So really it is whether or not you want to do certain things. If you mainly want to be in the hospital overseeing care of acutely ill/critically ill- then the acute care NP route is best. If you want a more broad population that is outpatient - FNP is best.

All programs (at least that I know of) require you to have your RN license. Having your license vs experience being an RN is different with each school and each program. Most CNM programs do not require you to have RN experience, however, most Acute Care NP programs (if not all) require you to have at least one year of ICU RN experience. Even though I have one year of experience as an RN, she mentioned the experience is not needed to apply to the program, but having the license is required. I hope that answers your question..

What I meant by my last statement is - if someone decides to go to school to specialize in a particular field, like Midwifery, I would hope that would show some type of dedication to the interviewer about their passion for that specialty regardless of their past experience as an RN or Lack of experience. If that makes sense. I, myself, have only work for a year. About half ICU and half LTC thus far. Speaking with the program director she mentioned RN experience is usually not a factor when it comes to searching/obtaining CNM jobs as they are completely different roles and specialties (depending where). Of course employers may think otherwise. I understand where you are coming from though with the assessment skills that an ICU RN must have and it could benefit me!

Thank you so much for your response! Luckily, in my area (ohio), I have not come across any job postings that mention specifically L&D experience, if anything they say new grads are welcome. So, this is a benefit for me. I think the part that freaks me out is if I have a big unemployment gap or short employments. Do you think past RN jobs will even matter when I apply for CNM ones as a new grad? Who do you typically interview with (another midwife, MD, etc)? I would hope that someone who goes to school to be a CNM would show dedication by doing just that despite having different past RN jobs.. but I may be wrong.

Hi All, So, I have officially applied to my local College's graduate school to continue towards my MSN in Midwifery. I am so excited to see what comes next. However, I did want to hop on here and see if I could get some advice.. I have one year of combined bedside experience from adult ICU and LTC. Long story short, I never wanted to be in those specialties, I have always wanted women's health and L&D. I interviewed one time for a position and didn't get an offer. These jobs have been little to none in my area and honestly, I am not one to stay in a position that I do not want to be in. My goal has been to become a CNM even before starting nursing school but I thought my year of experience may help anyways when it comes to clinicals and such. I have been in contact with the program director and she said they accept typically everyone who meets their requirements - the requirements only being a BSN, three recommendations (can be professors/instructors, Work, etc), and a personal statement & resume and lastly an interview with her. They require no nursing experience for this program and have directly admitted such students from just graduating with their BSN. I know I meet these requirements. However, I can't help but worry that I will not be hired as a new grad CNM. I know this is far away but I always have anxiety about that kind of stuff. After I get the decision from the school whether or not I will be admitted, I was thinking of resigning my current ICU PRN job. I am not satisfied because it is not what I want to do, and truly it will not help me with my future career as they are different specialties. I have appreciated everything that I have learned and experienced. I know this experience will help me communicate with patients in clinical as well. But is it necessary to keep a job you don't want/need and/or feel satisfied with? And do you think this will hinder my job prospects if I have a 2 year unemployment gap from being in grad school? Any advice is appreciated! Thanks!

Hi All, I am looking for tips on how to interview with an L&D manager. My background if LTC and adult ICU, but L&D is my passion. I want to be in women's health and advocate for mothers in labor. I also love the teaching aspect of it. This is my first interview with a L&D manager and I am trying to make the best out of it. Does anyone have any tips on what these managers like to hear during the interview? How can I make myself more desirable in the interview? This is a job that I have been waiting to get but never got the chance until now! Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Thank you for sharing! I definitely plan to stay there for atleast 1.5/2 years even if I am just PRN. I'd rather get the experience in ICU so I can transition into those other specialties a bit easier. If anything, they'll also float me to other units since I will be PRN. My current full time job actually did ask me whether I worked full time or not at the nursing home and I was honest about it and just told them that I wanted to get into the hospital for acute care experience. I am still full time right now. I will probably transition to PRN middle of October or so. But it's always been a dream of mine to work in one of those 3 units I mentioned above! Just one step at a time!

Hi Everyone, So, I am new to this site. I am looking to see if there are those who have went from Full time to PRN in an ICU before. I have been having a lot of family issues at home and it has taken a toll on work and life balance. Talked with my manager and she is allowing me to do PRN despite being there for less than a year. I have been PRN before at a nursing home and it was great, but needed to venture out to try something new. It was easy for me to obtain a full time job considering I was only PRN there. However, do you think it will be harder to find something full time down the line if I remain PRN in the ICU as my only job? I do plan to pick up a lot of shifts, I just needed the flexibility in the scheduling. My goal is to eventually move on to PICU/NICU/OB (haven't decided) nursing - right now I am in an adult medical/surgical ICU. I want to get more experience obviously before doing that but wanted to be sure that I wouldn't be limiting myself by changing to PRN. BTW I am not looking for other jobs, I am happy where I am at. I just wanted to be sure I would still be a desirable candidate for other specialties with being PRN and not full time.. Sorry for the rant. Opinions/Answers are appreciated! Thanks!