Unhappy Nursing Student

[Keyatte]

any adivice on direct entry programs?? i'm currently in college but i just not fulfilled. my true passion is midwifery but i'm stuck going the long route any advice?? is it worth it in the long run??

[FrumDoula]

How hireable will a lay midwife be though? I learned in school that many hospitals and birthing centers prefer (require?) midwives to be CNM's and that lay midwifery isn't legal. But then what does legal mean? Perhaps a lay midwife merely does home births and has a private practice?

This depends on what state you're in. In some states, it is illegal (though the reasons for making it illegal, that of safety, is not upheld in the scientific literature and is more about politics and turf). In some states, it is completely legal and midwives work in both the home and birth center setting. Medicaid is even willling to reimburse lay midwives in some states!

Midwives Alliance of North America has a chart on their website which documents the legal status of midwifery state by state.

Many hospitals and birth centers do require their midwives to be CNM's. But that doesn't necessarily make it any safer.

Realize, too, that there are different types of "lay midwifery". Some midwives are certified as CPM's, some are registered midwives, some are trained by apprenticeship only. I believe that making midwifery illegal does nothing to improve its safety, though midwifery care is proven safe and effective, with lower rates of c-section and interventions. It's pretty sad, really ....

Alison