Question on Background for Admissions to Ivies

May_baby · Feb 10, 2006

Hi Rigbyk,

My background is that I am a DONA trained Doula, but I always worked as a hospital-based doula. So I have been to a number of births.

Based on my experiences as a Doula I was motivated to complete a Masters in Public Health (MPH).

I think exposure, particularly to laboring women, is helpful for anyone interested in Midwifery. Now, I am not knocking anyone who has not volunteered, been a doula, or any such thing. I just think the exposure is helpful.

L&D Nurses and Midwives sacrifice a lot of their time and sanity to take care of families. (See the OB/GYN Nursing specialty threads, those ladies are smart cookies with bladders of steel...) Gaining experience with nursing, midwives, and laboring women will help you evaluate if the whole deal is right for you at a gut level.

May_baby · Feb 10, 2006

Ohhh coool, I also just noticed you are in Beantown.

What part of town do you spend your waking moments in?

elizabells, BSN, RN · Feb 10, 2006

rigby, are you asking about the direct-entry programs or the traditional MSN?

rigbyk · Feb 11, 2006

Hey guys, thanks for your input :-)

May_baby, I go to BC but right now I'm living in Brookline so I spend most of my FREE time (ie, five minutes or so a week) around Coolidge Corner and Harvard Square because I LOOVE Cambridge. But during the week I'm here in Chestnut Hill/BC - land. You're a doula? I'm in training right now! I signed up with DONA but I'm afraid I won't complete my training in time (by this coming October) because I haven't found any clients during the summertime, and once September comes I can't do anything other than school. It's been challenging because I am young, have limited/seasonal availability as a college student, and I don't know anybody who's having babies right now!! ARGH! How did you get your DONA training done? Where are you working out of? Are you located in MA? I agree experience with laboring women is important...I volunteered at a local hospital for a bit in maternity, and I'm going to Casa de Nacimiento (an El Paso, TX high volume birth center with internships) for two weeks this summer to get some real hands-on experience. I want to go to one of Ina May Gaskin's "midwife assistant" classes on The Farm in TN, but that won't happen this summer unfortunately. I'm just so into birth & midwifery, I can't wait to get to grad school!!! :-) What is your focus in your MPH program? What moved you to that?

Eliza, I'm looking for regular old MSN-with-specialty (nurse-midwifery). I'll be graduating in December 07 with my BSN ... I know most of the people here are direct-entry, but I figured it'll still help to know some basics.

May_baby · Feb 12, 2006

Hi Rigbyk,

I went to BU for my MPH. My concentration was Maternal and Child Health.

I lived in the South End for most of school and wrapped up my days in Boston in Brookline which I loved. I LOVED living in Boston. Now I work for the Federal Gov't, my how life has changed...

If you have not plunked down cash yet for Doula training you should check out ALACE which is based in Boston (or more specifically Cambridge). Their training on exams, etc. will be helpful when you get to Casa. Usually I talk a little mild smack about ALACE, but I think if you're going to Casa you should know how to do exams (which are a big DONA no-no).

Building up private clients is hard, try apprenticing with a more experienced Doula. Having a relationship with an experienced Doula may lead to client referrals and opportunities as her "backup". I would also suggest finding a Doula Association meeting of some type. They are good continuing ed and opportunities for networking.

Call Isis Maternity (affiliated with BWH/BI) and chat them up for local resources. All my networking info is about a year out of date.

In the meantime, kick booty with your BSN.

Yeah for you!!!

Selke · Feb 12, 2006

.... I signed up with DONA but I'm afraid I won't complete my training in time (by this coming October) because I haven't found any clients during the summertime, and once September comes I can't do anything other than school...I volunteered at a local hospital for a bit in maternity, and I'm going to Casa de Nacimiento (an El Paso, TX high volume birth center with internships) for two weeks this summer to get some real hands-on experience.
Eliza, I'm looking for regular old MSN-with-specialty (nurse-midwifery). I'll be graduating in December 07 with my BSN ... I know most of the people here are direct-entry, but I figured it'll still help to know some basics.

What about volunteering your services as a doula for low income patients at local hospitals, maternal child clinics? What about Brigham and Young? You should be able to find something like this in Boston. When I worked in the East Bay (California) there were volunteer doulas; my hospital had a coordinator for them and they were available for us to call, for example, Fridays or whenever they could make it. They could call the unit and get assertive about letting us RNs know they are there and waiting to come in :)

krystellmarie · Feb 12, 2006

Anon nurse,

Maybe it isn't the direct-entry students that have an attitude... with statements like the ones you are making, I am sure that you are not all that welcoming to DE students!

Some of us are just in a different place in our lives and the DE programs are better suited for us. We (at least the ones that I have talked to) realize that it will be some time before we are versed enough to be specialists in our chosen field.

So, please don't put down ALL direct-entry students because most of us are getting our degree this way because it works better for us. Why can't all nurses, no matter how they educationally got to where they are, support each other? That is really the only way that we will progress the field of nursing as a whole and how we will lure people into a field that is in such dire need!

bics · Feb 12, 2006

well put:yeahthat:

birthmamaew · Feb 12, 2006

So, rigby, I just email'd you privaetly about this post, but I am curious about everyone else. I'm also a midwife/ women's health type. Anyone planning on Georgetown?? Penn?

bellywoman · Feb 19, 2006

I'm applying to UCSF, Yale, & Columbia next year in the DE programs. You hear how competitive the programs are, but someone has to be getting in and very few of the schools have statistics available regarding who those people are.

I'm not in a program, but I thought I'd post some of my info just for the sake of sharing :) I graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in Women's Studies & Medical Anthropology and a strong emphasis in Women's Health. My undergrad GPA was a 3.89. While I was in school I trained with ALACE (which I highly recommend) and volunteered with my local birth network organization. I also taught an undergrad class on childbirth. My senior year I attended Elizabeth Davis' "Heart & Hands" midwifery program, which also gave me doula certification. I've attended two births as a doula, and just completed the application process to become a doula at my local county hospital. Over the summer I did the two week internship at Casa. While I was there I caught 4 babies and went to over 20 births. Next week I'm going to start volunteering at a local women's health clinic, where I'll be doing front desk stuff and health education/pregnancy counseling.

I know there is more that I'm forgetting, but it still doesn't seem like near enough! Sigh....

rigbyk · Feb 19, 2006

I think we have the same background bellywoman! :-) Except I'm getting my BSN...but I'm headed to Casa for a 2 week internship in May and I'm SO glad to hear you caught 4 babies because I've been worried about not having enough time there to catch babies!!! Woo! It's too pricey though for me to be able to go longer, at least for this summer. Maybe I'll go back!

How did you find births as a doula? I can't seem to find any clients. I wonder if I was doing ALACE if it would be any different..but I already did the classes for DONA and put down the dough so I feel I should stick with it.

I'm hoping to take a Midwife assistant class in TN at the Farm with Ina May Gaskin, possibly next summer. Have you heard of anyone who's done that and what they've said about it?