Thinking about going for my CNM - questions...

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Hello everyone!

My name is Jodi and I have been a public school teacher for 10 years and a doula for 4. I had my own child almost 2 years ago now, and have always wanted to work with pregnant women and babies. I had not even heard of a midwife until I was already well into my teaching career. I thought about becoming an OB, but knew I didn't want to do surgeries or have many, many high-risk patients. SO that is why I got my degree in Child Development/Education/Biology instead of Medicine.

Now that I have some experience in L&D (sort of) I really enjoy it SO much more than being a teacher, and being with birthing and pregnant moms is where my heart really is.

My main problem is that my husband cannot work, so I have to be the only money maker for my family. Anyone want to share their story of getting your RN or MSN?

I currently have a BS, so I would have to go to the community college to take the RN associate degree, then transfer to UIUC for the CNM masters. How difficult are the courses and practicums? I have a toddler, and work full time as a public school teacher.

Nursing in my city makes about %50-%80 more than public school teachers - and even though that is NOT my main reason for wanting a career change, it certainly will help one day.

For those of you that had your RN, how difficult is it to get a job in L&D? what are the shifts like?

ANyone have a day in the life of a midwife story they are willing to tell? I'm trying to convince my anti-change husband to understand what the difference may be in my daily life and my job stresses. Thanks!

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Specializes in L&D.

Nursing school can be quite stressful - I won't lie to you - but entirely doable if you put your mind to it and are determined. I went into nursing school at age 23 (the pre-req's - I had no prior college experience), and did it with a very unsupportive husband and two small children. Luckily, I did not have to work for the first 3 years of college. I picked up a part-time job in my last year of school though, and it was as an OB tech at a local hospital. That was my "in" to get into L&D. I started in L&D right after nursing school graduation. It's where I've been ever since.

After graduation, I left and filed for divorce from my now ex-husband. Nursing was my saving grace. It opened up a whole new world to me. It built my self esteem, gave me the financial ability to leave my abusive spouse, and was definitely my dream job. I knew all along that I wanted to work in L&D - there was no other field I was interested in!

And now, 8 years after I graduated from nursing school and left my ex-husband, I am a fulltime student to be a CNM, attending Frontier School of Midwifery. It's almost all home-based learning, which is perfect for me and my busy life. I work fulltime as an RN on L&D, plus school FT, plus being a mom (my older children are teens, and I now have a 5 yr old as well!). Needless to say, I lead a very busy life.

If you put your mind to it..........you can do it. Without taking that leap of faith and applying for the nursing program back when I was 23 yrs old, I would not be where I am today in my life. I am secure, self-reliant, financially stable, have a high self esteem, am in a loving relationship, and have a beautiful little girl that I would not have had if I had stayed where I was in my life back at the age of 23. Nursing opens your world to so many new and exciting possibilities -- not just your career, but also your personal life.

As for your husband - he sounds like mine was. Unsupportive, negative. My ex was abusive in emotional and verbal ways......and when I was strong as a nurse, he became violent in physical ways. He saw that he was losing that weakling that I used to be. He used to say that he was going to quit his job and stay at home when I worked as a nurse, so he could be even lazier. Needless to say, that never happened. I left him before that could happen!

You have to do what is right for you - and for your family. I don't mean to come across as suggesting that your husband is abusive - I don't mean that at all. I was just sharing the hardships I faced, and how nursing was such a positive light in my life and literally saved me.

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Specializes in Hopeful Certified Nurse Midwife!.

rnlabornurse4u- you are awesome! that was a fantastic response! it brought tears to my eyes, and i am so happy to hear that nursing has brought such positivity to your life! it truly gets me excited for the things to come!

thanks for sharing your story!

tara

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I'm so glad I found this...I am in the same (sort of) predicament. I will be graduating next June with my ADN and want desperately to become a Certified Nurse Midwife. I have decided that I am going to go with a bridge program (Frontier is the only one I know of right now) to get my MSN. Now these might be some naive questions but I have to ask, because I can't find the info anywhere. First, how long is the bridge program? Basically, how many years does it take to complete the process of ADN to MSN? And also, once I have my MSN do I have to then enter a midwifery program after getting my MSN? Or will I be a Certified Nurse Midwife once I receive my MSN? I just don't get it. If anyone can steer me in the right direction I would be eternally grateful...I've been going at trying to figure this out for almost 2 weeks now.

Thanks in Advance!!

PS sorry if it appears that I am trying to take over this thread...I'm new to message boards and couldn't figure out how to post my own new thread :bugeyes:

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I was a 4th grade teacher who went to nursing school after having my first child. I knew right then and there that I wanted to be a nurse-midwife. I only worked part-time as a patient-care tech while in school. I won't lie to you-- nursing school can be very time consuming and demanding. (Nursing care plans are very similar to lesson plans, so you've already got part of it under your belt). Unless you can find a evening/weekend program, you will likely have difficulty completing school and clinicals while working full-time weekdays.

I am now halfway through my MSN in nurse-midwifery... I should be starting clinicals in January or February. If it's something you really want, it is attainable.

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I'm so glad I found this...I am in the same (sort of) predicament. I will be graduating next June with my ADN and want desperately to become a Certified Nurse Midwife. I have decided that I am going to go with a bridge program (Frontier is the only one I know of right now) to get my MSN. Now these might be some naive questions but I have to ask, because I can't find the info anywhere. First, how long is the bridge program? Basically, how many years does it take to complete the process of ADN to MSN? And also, once I have my MSN do I have to then enter a midwifery program after getting my MSN? Or will I be a Certified Nurse Midwife once I receive my MSN? I just don't get it. If anyone can steer me in the right direction I would be eternally grateful...I've been going at trying to figure this out for almost 2 weeks now.

Thanks in Advance!!

PS sorry if it appears that I am trying to take over this thread...I'm new to message boards and couldn't figure out how to post my own new thread :bugeyes:

Frontier's bridge program is 1 year, full-time. At the end of the year, you enter the midwifery program, which leads to your MSN. You can do this part-time (36 months) or full-time (27 months). When you graduate, you have a MSN. You still have to take midwifery boards to get the title of CNM.

You will absolutely love Frontier!!!

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