New Student Midwife

Specialties CNM

Published

Hi everyone,

I have been reading the midwife thread for about a year now and after 2 years of pre-reqs and 1 year of applications, I found out this week that I have been accepted to a few of the midwifery programs that I have applied to. Therefore, I just wanted to write and say hi to everyone.

Now I can say that I am a student nurse going into Midwifery and Women's Health.

I also wanted to say thank you to everyone for all your comments and advice on the threads. It has been great reading about the profession and our role as providers to get an idea of what to expect.

biggolp

66 Posts

Specializes in Certified Nurse Midwife.

Congratulations on being accepted to a midwifery program and good luck in your studies!

Specializes in OB.

Congrats! This board isn't super active but I try to answer as many questions as I can and/or bring up interesting topics if possible.

Specializes in Midwife, OBGYN.
Congratulations on being accepted to a midwifery program and good luck in your studies!

Thank you @biggolp1 It looks like you are applying to midwifery schools as well, good luck with your application process!

Specializes in Midwife, OBGYN.
Congrats! This board isn't super active but I try to answer as many questions as I can and/or bring up interesting topics if possible.

Thank you @LibraSunCNM! Yeah, I saw the board isn't very active but the quality of the posts are more important then the quantity IMHO. Thank you for your thoughts on anti-vaxers and neonate care as a CNM. It gives me some food for thought on what I will be working with once I finish my training.

Specializes in L&D, OBED, NICU, Lactation.
Congrats! This board isn't super active but I try to answer as many questions as I can and/or bring up interesting topics if possible.

Is there any other board that may be more active for CNMs and future CNMs (such as TangoDeux and myself)?

Specializes in OB.
Is there any other board that may be more active for CNMs and future CNMs (such as TangoDeux and myself)?

I've heard Facebook has a good group for student ACNM members but it wasn't around when I was a student so I don't know specifics. This is it for AN though.

Specializes in Midwife, OBGYN.
I've heard Facebook has a good group for student ACNM members but it wasn't around when I was a student so I don't know specifics. This is it for AN though.

Thank you! I just found the group on FB but it looks like you have to be a member of the ACNM before you can join. Will just ask to join and see if they will accept my request. I will be paying my ACNM dues next year when I enter my specialty year since it is a requirement for the schools that accepted me into their program. I will also need to attend the Annual ACNM conference next year as well.

Update - yup, it looks like they check to see if you are a ACNM member before allowing you into the group. Oh well, will just wait until I am a member before I request to join.

LibraSunCNM - do you normally attend each year?

Specializes in OB.
Thank you! I just found the group on FB but it looks like you have to be a member of the ACNM before you can join. Will just ask to join and see if they will accept my request. I will be paying my ACNM dues next year when I enter my specialty year since it is a requirement for the schools that accepted me into their program. I will also need to attend the Annual ACNM conference next year as well.

Update - yup, it looks like they check to see if you are a ACNM member before allowing you into the group. Oh well, will just wait until I am a member before I request to join.

LibraSunCNM - do you normally attend each year?

No, sadly not every year but I've been twice as a student and once as a CNM, it's a great experience every time.

sala1128

18 Posts

Hello all!

Congratulations TangoDeux!!!! i think i read some of your previous post when you where still applying and waiting for acceptance. I found soo many threads to be sooo helpful to my own journey Thank you for sharing!

I am a New L&D RN though i have been a nurse for 5 years it was in Med/surg!

I am currently in the application process for the CNM/WHNP Program

TangoDeux what school are you currently attending? any information about how you like it? what to be prepared for? is it online?

Also Any CNM's to weigh in on how the job environment is in the hospital setting vs the clinic setting??

Specializes in Midwife, OBGYN.
Hello all!

Congratulations TangoDeux!!!! i think i read some of your previous post when you where still applying and waiting for acceptance. I found soo many threads to be sooo helpful to my own journey Thank you for sharing!

I am a New L&D RN though i have been a nurse for 5 years it was in Med/surg!

I am currently in the application process for the CNM/WHNP Program

TangoDeux what school are you currently attending? any information about how you like it? what to be prepared for? is it online?

Also Any CNM's to weigh in on how the job environment is in the hospital setting vs the clinic setting??

Hi @sala1128,

Apologies for taking so long to come back to you. It has been a hectic couple of weeks.

Congratulations on becoming a L&D nurse! I understand that it is very competitive to get a position in L&D since so many nurses want to work in that specialty. I am glad that some of my posts were helpful, that was my main aim when I post to AN. I want what I say to be helpful to the people who are reading the posts and to add value. The threads and the boards were helpful to me during my application process and I want to pay it forward so to speak and honor the other posters who helped me with my questions when I was applying.

Here are some answers to your questions:

What school are you currently attending?

I am not sure yet, I was accepted into a few programs so I am still weighing my options since I would like to go to a program that best fits with my aims and goals when I graduate as a midwife and a NP

General Advice

Overall, my advice would be to reflect on the following when making a decision about which program you wish to apply to. Disregard the name or the ranking of the school (just make sure they are accredited and they satisfy the midwifery requirements for your state) and look at whether the program's values and mission statement jives with how you want to practice as a midwife. Does the school conduct international nursing service missions if that is important to you? What is their mission statement? Do they teach you about abortions etc if that is important to you as a CNM/NP? Are sonograms part of their curriculum? Do they teach you about using the Pinard Horn or fetoscope? Does the faculty continue to have their own clinical practice? There are many considerations.

Take a look at your learning style when trying to decide between online, hybrid, and Brick and Mortar (B&M). I personally like being in a classroom setting and I like hands on clinicals and practicum so I can merge the book work with real life application of the material. Since you are an experienced nurse, this might not be as important when deciding on the coursework but since I am a non nurse direct entry and I understand my own learning style, B&M over online or hybrid courses is what works best for me when absorbing new ideas and concepts. I also like to speak and bounce ideas off of my fellow students so being in a classroom setting helps me to learn in that way as well.

Speak to students that go or have gone through the program you are interested in. I have talked to students at all the universities that I was accepted into so you get a feel of what life as a student at the university will be like. What is the schedule like? How is it different/same as the marketing or the social media information the school provides to you.

Look over the past threads for the schools that you are interested in. They have a lot of information that will help you decide about the school. There are also a few pro and cons lists that past applicants have posted about the various programs that can help you decide.

I can't give you any advice on being a CNM yet as I haven't started my training but I will continue to post as I am able as I continue my training and hope it will be of use to the CNMs-to-be that are thinking of applying.

Good luck with everything! It is exciting to embark on a new goal. I wish you all the best!

sala1128

18 Posts

Thank you soo much for your response, you actually have me thinking more in depth to this school search now. I am a people person and love class interaction like you so im thinking a B&M school maybe best for my learning style. i still plan on applying to some online schools just to increase my odds ( my GPA isn't the best), but definitely looking into some on campus programs now. and YES it's like you read my mind about " Does the school conduct international nursing service missions if that is important to you?" This is important to me but i have yet to find any that do. have you found any if so please share! Thank you again!

+ Add a Comment