Midwifery training/correspondance course question

[medicinemansgirl]

Here is a little of my story. I apprenticed as a midwife for 5 years before getting married and attended 150 births by the end of it. I was only 12 when I began my apprenticeship as a homeschooling student with a passion for midwifery. Since I was so very young when I started I had to be invited to the births and by the time I was around 16 I was then able to go as an official apprentice along with the midwife and her assistant...so it was always the 3 of us. I postponed the apprenticeship at the age of 17 to go ahead and get my RN and then be able to carry on with the American College of Nurse Midwives and one of their programs. I even had applied to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and also at Parkland in Dallas and was actually accepted into their programs with a conditional offer that I completed my LVN and worked on my RN as I trained in their midwifery course. But as all stories go.........I got sidetracked by marriage and children and never finished....never even making it to either college, though coming within a few hours of completing my LVN at the local junior college.

At my last appt my midwife again brought up the fact I should really really seriously consider continuing my pursuit of the dream I started so long ago and becoming a midwife. She has talked to numerous midwives in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area that have cared for and delivered expecting moms from our rural west TX region, given the fact there is no worthwhile care down here. So, these moms are going anywhere and everywhere they can to have their babies with a midwife....like me and our 4 hr drive to get to my midwife! So, I've contemplated picking it back up but just don't know how I'd manage a practice with my children being so young. I am expecting our 7th in very early July. But I figure I'll cross that bridge when I get there. By the time I finish my 2 oldest will probably be old enough to care for the younger ones when I'm gone! And we know we'll continue having children so I have that to consider too. Right now their ages are 9, 6.5, 4, 2 yr twins, 13 months and baby due 7/07.

But, as it is right now, I'm researching all of the different correspondant courses out there that I could go ahead and start on. I'll just do my actual apprenticeship part and attending the births at the very end of the course. It will probably take me 3 or 4 yrs to complete it.

The question is, are any of you familiar with courses out there that you like or dislike more than others? My midwife has recommended some and I've also contacted my old midwife that I trained with to find out from her what she recommends. One of the assistants she had that is now practicing on her own worked on a course shortly after she was widowed and while caring for her then 3 yr old daughter. With a lot of hard work she was able to complete it and is now running a thriving practice. So, I'm waiting to hear back about what course it was she did and what it is they recommend. What are the pros and cons to the ones y'all are familiar with?

And in the meantime, do y'all have any suggestions?

Nikki

[cfiddlinmama]

Hi medicinemansgirl and to MDC!

I'm doing the midwife to be course from Lisa Aman MTB course link It's very affordable. You pay for each unit as you go. $50 for the first unit and to register and $25 a unit after that. It ends up being $800 for the total course. You have to buy your books. If you bought them all retail it would be about $1200 for all the books. I've been able to find a lot of them used for cheap. A lot of the required reading books you can get from the library too. It seems very thorough. A lot of the books on the list are the same as the more expensive schools. The format is a little odd. For instance - we don't get tested on the assignments - just on the two additional books per unit. I haven't taken the test yet, so I'm not quite sure how that works.

Everyone who graduated the course has gone on the pass the NARM. Lisa trained most of the midwives in the Carolinas. What's really cool is she took some of the pictures in Spiritual Midwifery when she was 17!

The main reason I'm going with this course is because of how affordable it is. I'm going to be starting an apprenticeship in a few weeks and I should be able to piece together the rest of my education with my amazing preceptor. I hope this helps and best wishes for your journey!

Oh and we have a tribe for Student Midwives over in Finding Your Tribe. We have lots of great discussions and talk about schooling options.

[BirthMatters]

I am currently enrolled in the National College of Midwifery, it's sort of in your neck of the woods- Taos, NM. It's a total correspondence program, meaning I can do it all from my home (Massachusetts). You do need to have a preceptor to apply- I believe. You and your preceptor apply as a team, so to speak. But, there's also general education requirements you could work on while trying to find a preceptor.
Given your experience, you will want to ask any program about "life experience credit" not sure if that's a valid term, but basically you might get to check off some skills and you may have already met some requirements. You're starting off at a point that others will take a while to get to.
I like this program. I spent 4 yrs or so looking at all my options. Having a somewhat open mind to relocating, budgeting, timing, etc. We made a list of things that I wanted to get out of a program and then crossed off program by program and narrowed it down. National College of Midwifery seemed to be the right fit for me. It is not a Nurse Midwifery program, it is a CPM program.
It's moderately priced- there are programs way less expensive and there are programs way more expensive. It's degree granting and MEAC accredited.
So far, so good. I've been apprenticing for a year and a half and I have three kids. One must be very motivated and a "self-learner". I'm enjoying it. Good luck!

[MidwifeErika]

I am going through Ancient Art Midwifery Institute. I chose AAMI because of the really great feedback I had heard about the program. The program seems pretty indepth. It is self paced and distance as well, and you don't need a preceptor to do the program, which is wonderful.

[ian'smommaya]

completely unrelated to subject but where in west texas are you? my dad lives near big bend national park.

[medicinemansgirl]

Thanks so much for all of the feedback!!! I'm already looking through some of this stuff as I have time. I really am excited about picking it back up! Sort of rekindles a flame that's always burning! There's so very much out there though that it's easy to get overwhlemed by the choices.

I also forgot to mention that we are a homeschooling family too along with all of this...which may make it harder or easier! LOL!

And I am in a little tiny town, pop. 220, 30 miles east of San Angelo. I was born and raised in the Fort Worth area and we moved here 7 months ago since my dh got on with the San Angelo Fire Dept. I love being out in the middle of no where!!! We have land now and there is plenty of room to roam...unlike the suburbs!

My brother's an Eagle Scout and he went to Big Bend many many times during his scouting days.

[Reha]

Originally Posted by hotwings640

I am going through Ancient Art Midwifery Institute. I chose AAMI because of the really great feedback I had heard about the program. The program seems pretty indepth. It is self paced and distance as well, and you don't need a preceptor to do the program, which is wonderful.

Another happy AAMI student here.

In regards to attending births while still growing your family, I think it depends on the support system you have at home. Many midwives do it successfully, others decide to take off time from attending births while they are still having babies. There are lots of good threads here on MDC about this very topic.

Welcome!!!

[JunipersMom]

The ATM program has scholarships etc and because of your location they may be very eager to help you out and get a midwife in your area! Personally - I took the Michigan School of Traditional Midwifery correspondence course and then did my apprenticeship with the many wonderful midwives in the Dallas/Fort Worth area where we were living at the time. I would contact ATM (www.texasmidwives.com i think) and see what they can do to help you out.

[medicinemansgirl]

Originally Posted by JunipersMom

I took the Michigan School of Traditional Midwifery correspondence course and then did my apprenticeship with the many wonderful midwives in the Dallas/Fort Worth area where we were living at the time.

Do you know Donna Miller, Ann Crowell, Susan Hulet, Bonnie Kitchen or Gail Johnson? I apprecticed with Donna and Ann was her assistant at the time. I kow Susan well and we actually talked to Gail and Bonnie about deilvering our twins, though their fee proved to be too much at the time for our financial situation. I love them all though. My midwife now is Jean Sala located in Denton. I absolutely love her and she has become the most wonderful friend.

Anyway, any of these names ring a bell?

[JunipersMom]

Yes - I apprenticed with Bonnie and Gail for over a year - and met with Donna and Susan often. Isn't Jean a CNM? Maybe I'm remembering wrong. I believe that Gail is completely retired and living out of country, Bonnie is working with another great midwife Ginger, not sure about Donna and Ann, and it seems Susan was semi-retired not too long ago also.
Best of luck to you because Texas is great to its midwives and it sounds like you have a great opportunity to bring the choice of midwifery to your area of Texas. Yeah for the mothers who live by you!