route to CNM

[cayenne06, MSN, CNM]

[color=#464f32]okay. i am considering two possible routes to obtaining cnm licensure. one is to enroll concurrently in the midwifery education program at my local hospital along with their associated master's program. total cost for this would be humongous, but it is a highly respected program and would give me good contacts for employment. my other option is to complete my ms in nursing education online for a fraction of the cost, and then apply to the hospital's post-ms certificate in midwifery. this would save me a tremendous amount of money and only add an additional 6-12 months total to my schooling. i would also get the same benefits of career contacts, a respected degree, etc.

[color=#464f32]my worry is about being competitive. the school i would get my ms in nursing education from is pass/fail only, and does not give gpas (this is the only online school i will consider because it has a stellar reputation and is very fast paced). i have a 3.97 gpa from nursing school and midwifery school (i am a cpm), and was valedictorian in high school. i think these things give me a competitive edge, but i don't know. i think i am also competitive because i am a cpm to begin with. i know that someday i will want to do nursing education, but not anytime soon so an ms in education isn't going to be all that useful for me if it doesn't get me to my cnm.

[color=#464f32]what should i do? i am so torn. the idea of saving gajillions of dollars by getting my ms online is very tempting, but i also don't want to take the "easy" route and end up getting passed over in admissions. this program only admits 8 students a year, so i really need a good application.

[queenanneslace, ADN, MSN, APRN, CNM]

I can't believe no one has answered your question! Sorry if this isn't timely anymore.

Interested in what you decided - I trained to be a CPM - through a MEAC program - but stopped short of completing my clinical experience due to a number of factors (life, 24/7/365 call, working for peanuts, difficult continuity of care between home birth and hospital collaboration, etc) ... now just shy of completing my RN (ADN) and have my sites set on CNM programs in the near future. I have a Bachelor's degree in another field.

Prior to my apprenticeship - eons ago, it seems - I'd enrolled in a direct-entry MSN program to become a CNM. I'm sort of kicking myself now trying to decide if I'd just wasted my time with the foray through apprenticeship and CPM training only to wind up back at the CNM route.

Ultimately - I've saved a LOT of money. The direct-entry MSN easily topped $100K for the 3 year program - and that kind of debt is nothing to sneeze at. BUT... I could have been working as a CNM long ago... tit for tat, I guess. I'm not one who likes having large debt loads - and was a major reason why I left the MSN program. It was premium tuition price for merely adequate education.

The ADN program is super-affordable - and I will have completed my RN without taking out a single loan (this is good!) - hopefully an MSN in midwifery will not get me too far in debt. Looking at Frontier. Others as well... distance-based education is a requirement.

Just rambling now, I'd like to connect with more CPM/CNM crossover folks - I know many midwives of both varieties, but few (wait, none!) who have done both.

Interested to hear your thoughts on your education.