Where to begin?

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Hello! This is my first posting on AllNurses, and I am excited to learn all I can from the nursing community before I begin the long and winding path to becoming a nurse myself.

If I may provide a little background:

I am 25 yo, from CA, and will be graduating from a local MA+Phlebotomy program in the fall. I have always dreamed of being a nurse. My longterm career goal is midwifery, and in the future I would like to do all I can to be involved in Women's Health.

I chose MA+Phleb first, due to the rising number of impacted nursing programs in the state. The program was relatively short, and I want to get my foot in the door of the local job market as soon as possible. I am hoping to gain experience in patient care, and get a feel for working in teams with more experienced health care professionals before I pursue nursing.

There are a million questions I want to ask, but perhaps I will begin with the ones I had on my mind today...

Is it wise/practical to pursue multiple certifications over the course of my career? For example, SANE and Midwifery, or is that overly ambitious...?

With CA having such long waitlists for RN and BSN programs, are there states that have faster enrollment rates, or are they all kind of the same right now?

After spending some time as a phlebotomist, I would like to consider becoming a certified Doula-- to familiarize myself with the birthing process and the potential duties of a midwife. If there are any midwives around, have you worked with a Doula before? What are your thoughts, and do you think this would be a good way to break into the field before midwifery college?

Okay... I think that's a lot for my first posting... Thank you in advance for any guidance you might have!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Congratulations on taking those important first steps in your career goals.

Just to clarify - certifications can be achieved through continuing professional education, but advanced practice roles can only be achieved with formal graduate education. Midwifery is not a 'certification', even though the credentials (CNM) may give that impression. It requires formal graduate (MSN) education & passing more boards to become a Nurse Midwife. SANE designation is a certification that is open to any RN with at least 2 years of experience who has passed the certification exam.

All of the SANE nurses I have worked with have specialized in either Emergency Department or Women's Health. So your general career advancement plan is logical. I really don't know much about Doulas, but I'm sure some other AN'ers can fill you in.

Wising you the best of luck on your educational journey.

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Oh! Oops, yes it is good to make that distinction, haha! Thank you for your reply, I appreciate your input.

How long have you been in the field? Do you still enjoy your work?

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