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Originally Posted by futuremidwife93  Thanks so much for your help!! 
If I were to volunteer at a hospital, does anyone know what types of things I would be doing? Also, how long does it take to become a nurse? I really want to become a midwife to Kenya to assist the mothers and babies. Many times they have to deliver their own babies without professional assistance, sometimes resulting in maternal and infant mortality. |
What you would be doing if you volunteered at a hospital really depends on the programs available at the hospital in question, what their needs are, and what your goals are.
I got started in nursing because I decided to join a volunteer doula program my local hospital runs, and that was what gave me the idea that nursing was something I might like to do. So for me, volunteer experience was serving as a doula
. I've seen other volunteer positions that include things like delivering things to patients, sitting with patients who need company/supervision, supervising playrooms in pediatrics, holding babies in the NICU, stocking supply rooms, secretarial work... just any number of things. You can probably find something that will work with your interests and goals.
You can get an associate's nursing degree in two years, all classes included, at some schools. This is the minimum to be an RN. More commonly, it's more like 3-3.5 years for schools that do prerequisite classes separately.
A BSN takes in the range of 4 years (including prerequisites). Some are a semester or two longer than that.
CNM is a master's degree, so that would be another 1-2 years past a BSN.
In your situation, where your end goal is to be a CNM, going straight for your BSN probably make the most sense. However, it all depends on what schools you'd like to go to and where you can get in. Associate's degree nursing programs can still provide a very high quality education, and you can do a bridge program to get your BSN at a later time.
If you do want to do a BSN and you aren't admitted directly to a nursing program from high school (in other words, the nursing program requires college-level prerequisite classes), I strongly suggest going to a community college for the prerequisite and other lower division classes, because you'll still have the apply to the nursing program separately after you finish your prerequisites even if you're already attending the college in question, and community colleges are generally much less expensive.
I think becoming an RN is a great thing, and probably the most versatile option, but you might also want to look at Licensed Midwife/Direct Entry/Certified Midwife programs and see if they would meet your needs, since that's a much more direct route to becoming a midwife. Or, on the other hand, keep your eyes open throughout nursing school and see if some other specialty catches your interest!
