What to do with my career, life?

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Hey everyone--I am relatively new to allnurses, but I am having some kind of midlife crisis and I need some advice/ideas/input on my situation.

I am a nurse midwife, currently working in a community health center with doctors that did not want a nurse midwife working with them. I am not currently working with intrapartum moms, largely because of these same doctors (who, by the way, get bonused for each delivery that they do). I have been in a new state (which I am not feeling comfortable in)for the last year, stuck in this job that I hate, and am wishing to be able to move back to my home state (where there are an overabundance of OB/GYNs that don't want midwives to take their bread and butter from them either).

I am unfortunately the major breadwinner in my family--any job I have has to make enough to feed three teenagers (one of which will start college in the fall) and have moved four times in the last six years (which has made these same teenagers quite testy!)

I am trying to think of new ways to use my midwifery skills in some sort of meaningful/lucrative way, but I am stuck for ideas...anybody got some sort of thoughts on the matter?:rolleyes:

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

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Specializes in ER, L&D, Mother/Baby & Hospice.

Have you thought about teaching in a nursing school? Maybe sharing what you learn with others would be a rewarding change of pace. Just thinking of what I would like to do someday.

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Which state are you currently in? Where do you plan to move back to?

Putting on my thinking cap for you, but I need a few more specifics. You can send it to me in a pm, if you feel better about that.:)

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I am with Suzanne; wanting to know where you are and plan to move. Hopefully, someone here can help you out. Best wishes to you.

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Yes, as a matter of fact, I taught in an ADN program for a year and a half at home before I moved to work as a midwife. The problem with teaching was that the pay was so bad--or at least it was where I was at the time. I did like it, but I really went to midwifery school to catch babies, and it my heart just wasn't in teaching.

To make a long story short--I graduated in 1998 from midwifery school, but was unable to find a job in midwifery without moving. Not wanting to move, I taught in the ADN program for a year and a half. Then I decided that if I didn't at least meet some of the doctors in the area, I would never be able to convince them that they needed me to work with them. So I worked for a little while at the community hospital about five minutes from my house in Kansas. Well, these doctors have the idea that midwives are not worth working with because we "can't do C sections" and what good would we be. Fast forward to 9/11, when all the IT people lost jobs, because that is an easy place to cut back. Because I am married to a computer nerd, and he was unable to find another job, I took a job in Chicago as a midwife and moved my family there. My husband was also unable to find a job in Chicago, so when he found one in Florida, we all moved again. And once again, I am surrounded by doctors that think that I have no redeeming qualities because I am not a doctor and "can't do a C section". (Sorry, I guess that there is no way to make it a short story)

Anyway, the pay here is terrible, for everyone apparently, I have to drive an hour one way to the community health center, I hate the schools that my kids attend, and all I want to do is go back home to Kansas. Unfortunately, the attitude towards midwives has not changed there. So now I don't know what to do--stay here, or what...starting to think about going to cosmetology school--and giving up the one thing that I really like to do, which is catch babies.

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