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Hello all

I am will be starting a graduate program (hopefully) at the beginning of next year. I am currently re-taking statistics as my course was over 10 years ago. I keep going back and forth about FNP and CNM. I feel more interested in becoming a CNM.... I am most interested in a birth center and/or out of hospital type of midwife. I have always worked in PICU and ER but became very interested in the whole "crunchy" community when we were trying to become pregnant with our daughter. Now don't take me the wrong way I am not saying hospitals are evil or anything I just tend to be interested in more of that type of birth or work environment so far.

I have an 18 month old daughter and we are planning on "sometime" having more children. What makes me nervous the is potential schedule.

I am going to be on call for our neighbor who is a midwife so I can attend some home births as her labor nurse to get a good feel for it as well. I am also going to be talking with various midwives in our area who specialize in out of hospital birth.... one of which was an ER nurse prior to becoming a midwife.

I would just be interested in your normal daily or weekly schedule. I understand babies can be more in the middle of the night and on weekends and holidays... but I would just like to hear more about the flexibility (or even the lack there of) when working in your own practice.

Thank you!

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Specializes in Reproductive & Public Health.

When I worked inpatient, my 0.8 schedule (considered full time) was 3 days in the clinic and 24 hours in the hospital, usually as one shift (but some midwives break it into two 12s).

As a homebirth midwife, I would usually do 72 hours a week on call (lower volume, but still- carrying that beeper is stressful as h*ll) and 2 days in the clinic.

Now I am a CNM at Planned Parenthood and work 37.5 hours a week, M-F. No call :)

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When I worked inpatient, my 0.8 schedule (considered full time) was 3 days in the clinic and 24 hours in the hospital, usually as one shift (but some midwives break it into two 12s).

As a homebirth midwife, I would usually do 72 hours a week on call (lower volume, but still- carrying that beeper is stressful as h*ll) and 2 days in the clinic.

Now I am a CNM at Planned Parenthood and work 37.5 hours a week, M-F. No call :)

That 0.8 job is my dream job! If you don't mind me asking, how many babies did you typically deliver during a 24 hour shift? And what was your compensation like?

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Specializes in Reproductive & Public Health.
That 0.8 job is my dream job! If you don't mind me asking, how many babies did you typically deliver during a 24 hour shift? And what was your compensation like?

It WAS a dream job! We did about 40ish a month, so it would range from none to as many as 4 on my busiest shifts. Most commonly, it would be one or two. These births could range from very straightforward births to 3 day inductions for pre-e on an IDDM primip with a LTC cervix. We were the only practice servicing the hospital so we took any walk ins and covered any AP patients admitted to the medical service.

I was a student CNM at that job, but starting pay was about 80k for that position. I was offered a 1.0 job (4 days in clinic, 5 24 hour shifts a month) for 85K, and a very call-heavy FT position at a free standing birth center for 95.

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Is that the going rate for this kind of job? Sounds a bit low, no?

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Vanderbilt offers a dual program for CNM/FNP, just sayin'.

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Yes I've found a few schools that offer dual degrees but they aren't online and we don't live anywhere near them.... moving right now isn't really a good option for us so sadly those are out :-( I would be all over it otherwise!!!

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Specializes in Reproductive & Public Health.
Is that the going rate for this kind of job? Sounds a bit low, no?
80ish is pretty standard for a new grad in my area. Which is shockingly low, if you actually break it down by hours worked (not even including after hours time spent charting, etc). It worked out to an hourly pay that was about the same as what I was making as an RN.

My salary at Planned Parenthood is less than what was offered at the two other jobs I was considering, but it is more per hour. And when I am scheduled for an 8-4 shift, 99% of the time I actually leave on time. At the other jobs I was considering (and at my SNM cntegration site), an 8-4 shift meant patients nonstop from 8-4 (except for lunch), and then catching up on charting for an hour or two after all the support staff had left for the day.

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