strange question from a newbie

Smark35 · Jan 8, 2009

I don't think that's completely unheard of, Jennifer. There are people I've read about who seemed to know they wanted to be a midwife, and waffled between direct entry lay midwifery programs and nurse-midwifery programs. You might be surprised along the way that nursing can kind of "grab" you. :>) I don't find anything wrong with deciding how to accomplish what you want and going for it.

I would recommend, however, that you make sure you actually enjoy dealing with and taking care of people. It has been known to happen that someone gets quite far into her education, only to find that direct, intimate contact with others is not her cup of tea. I don't know your background, but working as a nurses aid or assistant in a birth center are two viable options off the top of my head. Good luck to you! Shannon

Bree124, BSN, RN · Jan 8, 2009

Jennifer - yes, I applied to nursing school with the sole goal of becoming a midwife. However, I will be done with my RN in August, and I am really looking forward to working as a bedside nurse for a couple of years while I am working on my MSN. I have found along the way that there are many other areas of nursing that I love, and have even considered switching to adults or peds nurse practitioner rather than CNM. However, midwifery has my heart, and I know it's what I am meant to do! :heartbeat:D

Also, do you have a degree in another field already? If so, you could look into direct entry MSN programs. Many of these offer midwifery, and it's a combined BSN/MSN program that takes about 3 years to complete full time. This is what I am doing, although I really want bedside experience for a few years, so I will most likely do the midwifery portion part time and work full time.

cookderosa · Jan 8, 2009

I don't think that's completely unheard of, Jennifer. There are people I've read about who seemed to know they wanted to be a midwife, and waffled between direct entry lay midwifery programs and nurse-midwifery programs. You might be surprised along the way that nursing can kind of "grab" you. :>) I don't find anything wrong with deciding how to accomplish what you want and going for it.
I would recommend, however, that you make sure you actually enjoy dealing with and taking care of people. It has been known to happen that someone gets quite far into her education, only to find that direct, intimate contact with others is not her cup of tea. I don't know your background, but working as a nurses aid or assistant in a birth center are two viable options off the top of my head. Good luck to you! Shannon

>>

Thank you Shannon for great advice. My mom just retired from nursing after 40 years, so I know nursing independent of midwifery is not for me...however....I have had 4 midwife-assisted births which inspired me to do volunteer work as a doula and birth assistant. For a block of about 4 years (late 90's) I volunteered for the birth and 2 weeks postpartum for each mom (about 20 in all). I love taking care of people, and I would say my ability to intuit other's needs is one of my strengths. I'm very diplomatic, and definitely do NOT have an agenda to put on women. (you can probably see the conflict coming LOL) I did some childbirth education a while ago, and a lot of lactation support as a postpartum doula. I was certified through CAPPA, and spent some time shadowing a lay midwife. I knew that type of midwifery wasn't for me, and the timing was wrong (I became pregnant again). So, I mainly did postpartum work (in home) which was really really awesome. I ended up loving postpartum so much that I stopped attending births. The only connection I have with my former interest is teaching baby food making classes .

My hesitations (there are several) are nearly all fear-based!! I am actually in graduate school now, so this would involve leaving to go back and get my ADN/RN. My grad school is a hybrid, so I only have to spend summers on campus and full semesters are on line. This arrangement allows me to still work in my field part time and attend school part time. As you know, the ADN would require significant time on campus every day and maybe leaving my job. Also, I have 17 years with my current employer...so....I know this went a little OT, I'm just sharing some of my background. I know you can't make the decision for me, I'm just bouncing and venting at this point. I'd like to make a decision before summer.

cookderosa · Jan 8, 2009

Jennifer - yes, I applied to nursing school with the sole goal of becoming a midwife. However, I will be done with my RN in August, and I am really looking forward to working as a bedside nurse for a couple of years while I am working on my MSN. I have found along the way that there are many other areas of nursing that I love, and have even considered switching to adults or peds nurse practitioner rather than CNM. However, midwifery has my heart, and I know it's what I am meant to do! :heartbeat:D
Also, do you have a degree in another field already? If so, you could look into direct entry MSN programs. Many of these offer midwifery, and it's a combined BSN/MSN program that takes about 3 years to complete full time. This is what I am doing, although I really want bedside experience for a few years, so I will most likely do the midwifery portion part time and work full time.

>>

Thank you Bree, I am certainly open to the possibility of that happening to me!

Bree124, BSN, RN · Jan 8, 2009

I have nothing at all against ADN nursing (this is the route I almost took), but if you absolutely know that you're going into nursing to become a midwife, it adds years of school for no real reason... KWIM? A direct entry program gets you in and done in three years, and even with full time school you can work PRN during the last two years for experience in nursing skills, critical thinking, assessment, etc. Of course, these programs aren't for everyone, and if there are none in your area and you can't relocate, then you're kind of out of luck. An ADN could be used to bridge into Frontier's CNM program, but I think you'd need a few years of RN work experience before being competitive on your application (although I could be very wrong about this!)

cookderosa · Jan 8, 2009

I have nothing at all against ADN nursing (this is the route I almost took), but if you absolutely know that you're going into nursing to become a midwife, it adds years of school for no real reason... KWIM? A direct entry program gets you in and done in three years, and even with full time school you can work PRN during the last two years for experience in nursing skills, critical thinking, assessment, etc. Of course, these programs aren't for everyone, and if there are none in your area and you can't relocate, then you're kind of out of luck. An ADN could be used to bridge into Frontier's CNM program, but I think you'd need a few years of RN work experience before being competitive on your application (although I could be very wrong about this!)

>>

Can you expand on this a bit? I might be misunderstanding the process (highly possible LOL). As far as I know, there are 4 local nursing programs which all offer ADNs (one also offers the BSN). Oh...wait. I think I understand. A direct entry program gets you the RN (no degree) and then the MSN in one swoop...is that correct? I looked at a few of those, however, the closest to me is Chicago followed by Kansas City- over 5 hours away- and I am place-bound for a while. My husband's employment contract obligates him for another 2 1/2 years with the possibility of a 3 year renewal. His employer is also paying 100% of his MBA, and he is our primary bread winner- meaning- we work around his schedule.

My plan would be to complete the ADN locally and attend one of the distance/hybrid midwifery programs listed on the ACNM website. Even if this adds time, it is more realistic.

Bree124, BSN, RN · Jan 8, 2009

Yes, that does sound more realistic given your situation. There are some really great ADN programs out there - one of our local community colleges has the highest NCLEX pass rate in the state. Over 97%, I believe...

Good luck pursuing your dream! I am really excited about becoming a CNM!

cnm in progress · Jan 13, 2009

If you already have a bachelors, you don't need to do the "bridge" program at Frontier. If you get your RN you can go right into the MSN program at Frontier with just 1 year of nursing experience.

As far as the RN goes, an ADN would be one option that only takes 2 years, but there are often a lot of pre-reqs involved. You could also check out the hospital-based "diploma" programs. They are typically 2 years also.

cookderosa · Jan 13, 2009

If you already have a bachelors, you don't need to do the "bridge" program at Frontier. If you get your RN you can go right into the MSN program at Frontier with just 1 year of nursing experience.
As far as the RN goes, an ADN would be one option that only takes 2 years, but there are often a lot of pre-reqs involved. You could also check out the hospital-based "diploma" programs. They are typically 2 years also.

>>

So, if I found a diploma program that resulted in an RN (not LPN right?), would that be enough to apply to Frontier's master program??

I appreciate you taking the time to explain this to me,

Jennifer:)

cnm in progress · Jan 13, 2009

>>
So, if I found a diploma program that resulted in an RN (not LPN right?), would that be enough to apply to Frontier's master program??
I appreciate you taking the time to explain this to me,
Jennifer:)

Yep. I have a bachelors in education. Then I got my RN in a hospital-based diploma program. I'm currently in Frontier's MSN program. The only additional stipulation that you have to do is a "portfolio," which is essentially a bunch of essay questions that show how the combo of your first bachelors & RN is sufficient to replace a BSN.

cookderosa · Jan 13, 2009

Thanks! That opens up a few more doors!!

Jennifer